The College Experience
by Geishaaa
Summary: Human!Au/College!Au; Fresh out of high school, 18 year old Ichigo Kurosaki begins his first year at Karakura Town University and finds himself bunking with a 14 year old child prodigy. He vows that, one way or another, he is going to solve the mystery that is Toshiro Hitsugaya. Multi-chapter, Ichihitsu. Rated M.
1. Room 406

**I HAVE RETURNED! This will be a human/college!au. I was inspired by Kuroneko Hikage's 'Untitled Preface', so you'll probably notice some similarities in the setting.**

 **WARNINGS: Rated M, for language, under-age drinking, sexual references and a sex scene(s) in later chapters.**

 **PLEASE NOTE: Okay, so I've discovered that the Northern Hemisphere has some fucked up academic years. Apparently Japan starts their academic year in April and ends the following March… In Australia, life makes sense and we start in January/February and end in December. Anyhoo, I've decided to follow the Japanese year for this fic, but since I don't know much about Japanese universities, this story will be based on what I know about Australian universities, and what I've seen in American movies about theirs. Sorrynotsorry.**

 **The College Experience**

Chapter 1: Room 406

406.

Ichigo Kurosaki looked at the paper in his hands and then back up to the sign on the door. 406 – His new dorm room number. This was it; the doorway to the next phase of his life – college.

Eighteen years old and fresh out of high school, Ichigo was beyond excited to begin studying subjects he was actually interested in and fully experiencing 'the college life' as he'd seen in movies and heard about from his older friends.

Karakura Town University (KTU) had the best science department in Japan and was one of the top schools world-wide, so Ichigo knew he was incredibly lucky to be accepted into such a prestigious school. KTU was also one of the richest schools out there and as a result, it only had the most recent, state of the art equipment and resources, and could afford to hire the best professors in their respective fields. It was by far the finest university that Ichigo could ever hope to put on his résumé.

Despite living on the other side of town, he chose to board at the school. Ichigo wanted the whole college experience; he wanted to live out of home, have a roommate, go to college parties, make new friends, get a part-time job and throw a football with his new best friend in the dorm hallways… okay, so maybe he'd seen too many movies but these were the best years of his life – _according to his father_ – and he wanted to make the most of it. After university, his life would mainly be work, work, work.

Fumbling with the keys, Ichigo wondered what his new roommate would be like; would he be fun-loving and down to party? Would he be the smart type, like Uryu from school? Would he be loud and confident, or quiet and reserved? Ichigo pushed the keys into the lock, and took a deep breath.

Ichigo paused as another thought briefly passed over his mind; would he find his new roomie attractive? He had discovered in his last two years of high school that he spent more time thinking about boys than girls. It took him quite some time to discover what this meant and even longer to accept it. He had though, and so had his friends and family. He was very lucky to have made such good friends early in life; friends who would accept him no matter what his sexual preferences were.

Turning the key, Ichigo felt the lock slide back and with one more deep breath he pushed open the door. Taking his first steps inside, Ichigo took in his surroundings. It was a small room. There was an awful coloured (pale murky green) two-seater couch on his left which had a wooden coffee table in front of it and pointed to a small wall-mounted TV. To his right, a basic kitchenette supplied with a kettle, toaster, microwave and a half-sized refrigerator. In the only space left was a round kitchen table with four chairs around it. Three doors stood along the room walls; two along the back wall and one on the side near the kitchen. Overall the room was basic, but he loved it all the same; he could practically smell the independence.

"Can I help you?"

A deep, cool voice, tinged with mild annoyance and boredom, brought Ichigo's attention to the kitchen table, where a young boy sat in front of a pile of books and papers. The boy's age struck Ichigo first; he was perhaps 13, maybe 14 if he pushed it, but definitely too young to be in college.

The next thing Ichigo noticed was just how ridiculously gorgeous the boy was; stark white hair and large teal eyes. It was an unusual combination indeed, but certainly breathtaking. He was also wearing reading glasses with wide, thick black rims, which, to Ichigo, made him look all the cuter. The boy looked small too, from his seated position; narrow shoulders, toned slender arms and dainty hands.

"Oh, um, hi," Ichigo forced himself to respond, "I'm Ichigo Kurosaki; I've been assigned to this dorm."

The boy narrowed his eyes as he regarded Ichigo, his pen tapping lightly against his lips. Ichigo shuffled awkwardly under the boy's scrutinizing gaze; silence filled the tiny room.

"Um, are you…" Ichigo cleared his throat, "Are y-you Toshiro Hitsugaya?"

Toshiro Hitsugaya was the other name on his dorm room information paper, and his supposed new roommate…but this was a young teenage boy in front of him, he couldn't possibly be…although, from Ichigo's viewpoint, it did look like he was studying something a little more serious than middle school maths.

"I am," The boy – Toshiro – finally answered after what seemed like a lifetime of silence, "One comment on my age and/or height and you'll be sleeping outside for the rest of the semester."

Ichigo gulped and nodded sharply; it was as though the kid knew what he was thinking. There was something about the boy in front of him, something that made him seem older and wiser than he physically was. There was also a dark glint in his eyes – a peculiarity that told Ichigo to be weary. He wouldn't want to be on bad terms with his new roommate anyway.

"Good," Toshiro smirked, "Your room is that one there behind the couch, mine is the one behind me and the bathroom is on your right."

Toshiro pointed around the room as he spoke, and then returned to his studying like Ichigo had never come into the dorm in the first place; his eyes darting between the text book and his written notes, his pen flying across the page at an incredible speed. Ichigo lent over the table to see what he was working on; it appeared to be some sort of science.

"Is there something else you need, Kurosaki?" Toshiro snapped, looking up to glare at Ichigo.

Wow, touchy.

"No, um, sorry?" Ichigo gave an awkward smile and stepped back from the table.

Toshiro continued to eye him off for an excruciatingly slow minute before returning silently to his work. Ichigo released the breath he didn't know he'd been holding and wasted no time in picking up his bags and shuffling over to the bedroom door that was apparently his.

Entering quickly, Ichigo turned to face his new bedroom. Plain and simple, it was; just a double bed pushed up against the corner of the room with a bedside table on the other side, a small built-in closet on the opposite wall and a desk next to that. It was perfect. Well, it would be, once he gave it a little life.

A couple hours later and Ichigo was done. He took a step back to observe his work. He grinned; this room was definitely his now. He'd put photographs of his friends and family up on the wall beside his bed and a giant poster of his favourite rock band above wear he'd lay his head every night. He'd put deep purple sheets on his bed and set up his bedside table with all his essentials; his phone charger, alarm clock, car keys and the book he was currently reading. He'd put his clothes in the closet and even gone so far as to lay his textbooks, notebooks and laptop out on the desk, all ready for class tomorrow.

Feeling his stomach churn, Ichigo glanced at his alarm clock. It was just after 6pm. _Fuck yeah, dinner time!_ Ichigo thought excitedly. He'd planned to meet Chad – his only friend from high school to board at the university – at the dining hall around 6:30. Throwing on a jacket, Ichigo sent a text to Chad to let him know he was on his way down.

Despite knowing nothing about his new roommate, Ichigo was somehow unsurprised to find that the young boy had not moved from his position at the kitchen table and was just as furiously scribbling down notes as he was when Ichigo first arrived.

"I'm going to get some dinner," Ichigo stated, "Are you coming down?"

"No," Toshiro answered curtly, not looking up from his work, "I'm too busy tonight."

Ichigo didn't even know how he could be so busy considering classes hadn't even started yet, but he decided not to push the subject.

"Okay, um, see you later then," Ichigo responded awkwardly and headed towards the door.

Toshiro did not reply.

…

Ichigo saw Chad over the crowd of students coming to get dinner. It was hard to miss the large Mexican who towered over everyone. Waving him over, Chad spotted Ichigo right away; Ichigo himself was also rather easily noticed in crowd due to his shockingly orange hair.

Behind the Latino came a tall – but still way shorter than Chad – guy with long red hair tied back into a spiky ponytail. He wore a white bandana on his forehead and simple white tee with dark blue jeans.

"Ichigo," Chad greeted softly, sitting at the table opposite him, "This is Renji – he's my roommate."

As Ichigo shook hands with Renji, he just knew that they'd become good friends, especially when Renji pointed to Ichigo's shirt and screamed "I love that band!"

As the three of them ate, they got to know more about Renji Abarai. He was a second year student studying electrical engineering and hoping to one day get a job at Kuchki Industries – Japan's number one power provider. He had just turned 20, and was a bit of rough nut; he played for the university's basketball team and also joined the karate club.

"Oh god, and there was this one time, I swear- Oh fuck!" Renji cut off his story mid-sentence as he spotted something over Ichigo's shoulder.

Glancing over his shoulder, Ichigo could not see what was disturbing his new friend. Renji's face had turned a furious shade of red and the man was looking down at his food, head ducked low as if he was hiding from something.

"Dude, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked, swapping confused looks with Chad.

"Oh he just saw yet another beautiful woman who scares him shitless."

Ichigo's head whipped in the direction of the newcomer's voice. Two men approached; a blonde whose hair flopped over his left eye and a tall brunette with the number 69 tattooed on his left cheek. They rounded the table, the blond taking a seat next to Ichigo and the brunette coming to sit next to the now spluttering Renji.

"I'm Shuuhei Hisagi," The dark-haired man who had spoken before greeted with a sly smile, "And this is Izuru Kira."

"We're the pineapple's friends," The blonde – Izuru – added while gesturing casually to Renji.

Ichigo laughed as Renji – or the 'Red Pineapple' as he soon became known as – began growling out obscenities.

"I told you not to fucking call me that!"

Ignoring Renji completely, Ichigo introduced himself and Chad to Izuru and Shuuhei. Izuru was a nice guy, kind too. He seemed a little shy, except when it came to making fun of Renji. As it turned out, Izuru was doing the same course as Renji and was also in second year. Shuuhei, on the other hand, was studying Journalism and was in his third year. He was confident and apparently a bit of a ladies man, but Ichigo could tell that the guy had a good heart.

"So what are you guys studying?" Izuru asked, taking a sip of his soda.

"I'm studying medical science," Ichigo responded, "But I'm hoping to transfer into post-graduate medicine after the course is done. I want to be doctor."

Ichigo had always wanted to be a doctor, since as early as he can remember. His father was a doctor and ran a small practice at their home. He spent more time fighting his dad now, but when they worked together with patients or had serious medical discussions, Ichigo felt closer to his dad and he wanted to make him proud. More than that, he wanted to help people and save lives. His name meant 'protector' and that's exactly what he wanted to do.

"I'm studying social welfare," Chad provided when it was his turn.

He didn't expand much on that point and nobody asked him too. Ichigo knew Chad was hoping to one day work with disadvantaged children and make sure all kids had good homes to go to. It came from losing his grandfather – and legal guardian – at a young age and then slipping through the cracks of state care. He didn't talk often of his time before he met Ichigo, but the strawberry didn't think it was pretty, considering they met during a gang fight.

It seemed as though Renji was going to say something before he clamped up again and began choking on his food. Spraying his mouthful onto his plate, Renji downed his cup of water like his life depended on it and once again ducked low as if he wanted to avoid being seen. Shuuhei erupted into outrageous laughter at his friend's misfortune.

"Okay, who is the girl that's making him stupid?" Ichigo asked Izuru, while Renji glared daggers at Shuuhei.

"Ahh that would be Rangiku Matsumoto…" Izuru grinned, looking around the room, "Oh, there she is!"

Ichigo and Chad looked over in the direction Izuru was pointing. They had no problem spotting this 'Rangiku'. She had long, toned legs, curvy hips with a tiny waist and what was surely the world's largest bust for a woman her size. She had long strawberry blonde hair and was wearing a tiny pink dress. She was the woman of every man's dreams…well, every straight man's dreams, Ichigo supposed, since he was more drawn to the frowning boy by her side.

"Hey, it's Toshiro!" Ichigo exclaimed, excited to see his stunning young roommate outside their dorm room.

"You know him?" Renji raised an eyebrow at Ichigo while the other three looked on in interest.

"He's my roommate," Ichigo answered, waving enthusiastically in Toshiro's direction although the boy didn't seem to notice him.

Renji's look of confusion broke into an all-out grin as he shared what seemed to be a knowing look with his two friends.

"What?" Ichigo asked, eyes darting between Renji, Shuuhei and Izuru before looking at Chad for answers. The Mexican could only shrug.

"I wouldn't have picked you as gay…" Renji smirked.

Ichigo could practically feel the colour draining from his face. How could they tell? They'd know each other for an hour!

"Oh relax, Ichigo!" Izuru laughed and patted him on the back, "We don't care. We're just good at reading the signs; Mine and Renji's friend, Ikkaku, started dating Shuuhei's friend, Yumichika, and that's how we ended up becoming such good friends."

Still incredibly embarrassed, but greatly relieved to not be rejected by his new friends, Ichigo asked, "But how did you know?"

"Well, if we point out a girl like Rangiku and all you can see is her little friend over there…" Renji laughed, "Then you definitely aren't into girls."

 _Fair point,_ Ichigo mused, glancing back over at the two in question. From this distance, it looked as though Rangiku was playfully teasing Toshiro, who seemed to ignore it with a look of resigned acceptance. Well, that was until Rangiku shoved his head into her ample bosom. The boy struggled for freedom but Rangiku's grasp became visibly tighter.

Renji groaned, his face turning an even darker shade of red – if that was at all possible – as he dabbed a napkin against his now bleeding nose, "The things I would do to have her shove my face in there…"

"I've had my face in there," Shuuhei whispered teasingly and poked Renji in the side, "Best day of my life."

Renji looked as if he was about to punch Shuuhei right in his smirking face.

"Are they dating?" Chad asked Izuru as he looked upon with mild interest.

Ichigo returned his focus to Izuru, keen on hearing the answer to that question. It was odd, but he found himself really hoping that they were just friends.

"No," He chuckled, "We thought they were for most of last year, but I'm dating Hitsugaya's cousin, Momo, and she told us they were just friends. Albeit, closer friends than most."

"That, and Rangiku is dating Gin Ichimaru now…" Shuuhei added, once again prodding Renji with a chopstick.

Ichigo swore he heard Renji mutter something like 'lucky bastard' under his breath before stabbing his chopstick harshly into his chicken.

Laughing at his friend's antics, Izuru went on to explain that Gin Ichimaru was a student last year. Izuru seemed to idolise the man who was former captain of the basketball team and graduated top of his course.

"Wait-" Ichigo interrupted, his mind back on his young roomie, "You said that you thought Toshiro and Rangiku were dating last year; surely he's not a second year student?"

"Yep, second year," Izuru confirmed, ignoring Ichigo's dropped jaw, "He's 14; a child prodigy and genius, KTU's youngest student ever. Momo told me that he skipped most of grade and middle school."

"You're kidding me!" Ichigo exclaimed, "What's he studying?"

Both second years and the third year student shrugged with an obvious lack of interest.

"Some area of science, I think," Izuru supplied eventually, "He's in mine and Renji's maths class."

Ichigo tried to pull as much information as possible out of his new friends about the apparent child prodigy. They didn't know much more than what they had already told him, but they did know that he was a bit of a closed book. Toshiro didn't have many friends and seemed to prefer it that way. He came across as cold and indifferent. Interestingly enough, Toshiro and Renji both did Karate together. Toshiro was black belt level.

"You like him, don't you?" Renji demanded with a grin, his finger pointing accusingly at Ichigo.

"What?! No!" Ichigo spluttered, "I just met him!"

"Sure, sure," Renji continued obviously unconvinced, while Izuru tried to cover his widening grin with a hand, Shuuhei chuckled into his soda and even Chad cracked a smile.

"Seriously, you pineapple! I just wanted to know what I'm getting myself into now that I live with the kid!"

The use of the hated nickname broke the focus on him as the others erupted into laughter and Renji screamed every swear word he knew. Shuuhei was once again nudging Renji's side and the redhead finally cracked, pulling the budding journalist into a chokehold at the table.

Ichigo used the distraction to sneak another glance at the boy genius. Toshiro was playing with his food idly and listening to Rangiku's expressive chatter with little interest. His face was expressionless, but his stormy eyes conveyed a certain type of emotion that Ichigo couldn't quite place. Sadness, perhaps?

As if sensing that someone was looking at him, Toshiro raised his head and made direct eye contact with Ichigo. Ichigo whipped his head back around to face his friends faster than any of them could blink, but it was too late. He knew Toshiro had seen him staring. He didn't have to turn back around to feel those wide teal eyes boring into the back of his skull from across the hall.

Ichigo counted down from a minute silently before turning back around to face his new roommate. Where Toshiro was previously sitting now remained only an empty seat. Rangiku had moved along a table to chat with some other girls but Toshiro had vanished from sight. Sighing, Ichigo vowed that, one way or another, he would get to the bottom of the mystery that was Toshiro Hitsugaya.

…

 **Thanks for reading guys! Please review!**

 **Geishaaa out xoxo**


	2. The First Day

**Ok, Chapter 2!**

 **This story will essentially be about the develop of the relationship between Ichigo and Toshiro over the school year, so after this chapter, most future chapters won't follow straight on from the last, but will be set anything from a few days to a few weeks apart, and each will be about significant moments in the Ichihitsu relationship as it evolves from strangers to … ;) So stay with me, it'll come all in good time.**

 **This chapter isn't all that thrilling because I just wanted to introduce Ichigo to college life, but I promise more exciting chapters coming soon!**

…

Chapter 2: First Day

Ichigo's alarm clock sung its loud and annoying tune to rouse its' deep sleeping owner. With a muffled grunt, said owner lifted his hand out from the covers to his bedside table, hitting the furniture blindly in search of the offending noise. After almost losing his charging phone off the edge, Ichigo found the alarm clock and turned it off. He was now wide awake and in no need of the extra 10 minute snooze.

 _The first day of college!_ Ichigo remembered with a jolt. A wide smile erupted over his features. He was excited, and nervous, but mostly eager to start classes and make new friends. He'd made two last night – three if you counted Toshiro – and couldn't wait to catch up with them again.

Peeling the covers back, Ichigo forced himself out of the warm comfort of his bed and stood up, stretching the last of the tiredness out. He grabbed a bath towel and padded out into the living room.

Toshiro was already up, dressed and sipping on a rather large mug of tea. He was packing his books and reading glasses into his bag. He was clad in a pair of tight-fitting blue jeans and an old, oversized athletic hoodie with self-made thumb holes. It was charcoal grey in colour, and really pronounced the colour of Toshiro's stunning cerulean irises.

"Good morning, Toshiro," Ichigo almost sang in delight, "You're up early this morning."

"I'm going to the library," was the blunt reply, "And I'd prefer if you called me 'Hitsugaya', Kurosaki."

Ichigo supressed a chuckle; Toshiro was so tightly wound. He wondered if this was just a morning thing or whether Toshiro would be like this all day long.

"Are you coming down for breakfast, Toshiro?" Ichigo asked, clearly ignoring his roommate's last request.

"It's 'Hitsugaya', and no," The boy glared.

Ichigo sighed and shrugged mentally. It was possible that Toshiro was going to take a lot of warming up, but he was prepared to meet the challenge. There was just something about him that Ichigo found special. He didn't know what it was the compelled him to the boy so much, but he was going to take the time to find out. He had a feeling –call him crazy – he had a feeling that he and Toshiro were meant to meet; destined to be roommates for a greater reason.

On the other hand, he hadn't had his morning coffee yet and that last thought could very well have been nonsense.

Toshiro stood to full height and, this being the first time Ichigo had stood next to him, Ichigo realised the boy came up to just below his shoulder. _So small,_ Ichigo thought, _but perfect for cuddling. WAIT WHAT?!_ Ichigo was shocked at himself for even thinking about his roommate like that.

Was Toshiro cute? Yes. Was he gorgeous? Of course…but that didn't mean Ichigo could cuddle him, or even entertain the idea. This was his roommate, for god's sake, not his boyfriend. Ichigo barely knew him; this was only their second conversation after all since Ichigo hadn't seen him after dinner last night. Moreover, Toshiro was a kid; he was only 14 and had probably only just begun to go through puberty. In addition to that, he probably wasn't even gay! In fact, there was a real chance that Toshiro might not even know what his preference was; Ichigo certainly didn't at that age.

The worst part was that despite all that, Ichigo still had the urge to pick up the boy and cuddle him anyway. Well, not just cuddle, but also kiss and…

"I'm going to have a shower!" Ichigo exclaimed suddenly, whipping around and striding off in the direction of the bathroom. Feeling as his face heated from top to bottom, he didn't miss the odd look his new roommate had given him.

From the safety of the bathroom, Ichigo could hear the heavy dorm door open and close again as Toshiro left for the morning. He took a deep breath to calm himself. What had gotten into him lately?

…

 _I'm so fucking lost,_ Ichigo bolted along the hallways and up and down stairs with next to no idea where his morning lecture was. He had a room number and a map of the school, but unfortunately geography was not one of his better skills; he wasn't even sure if he was holding the map the right way around. He was in the right building, he knew, but he was having trouble locating the actual lecture room.

"Hey you!" A feminine voice called as he sprinted by.

Ichigo turned around and back tracked towards the voice. A rather short girl, probably only a little taller than Toshiro, stood by one of the classroom doors in a white dress and denim jacket, with a tiny backpack hanging over her shoulders and a laptop tucked under her arm. She was quite pretty, with shoulder-length ebony hair and striking violet eyes.

"Are you looking for 'Introduction to Anatomy'?" She asked, a kind smile gracing her lips.

"Yeah," Ichigo puffed, trying to regain his breath after all that running, "Do you know where I can find room L12?"

"Yep," The girl answered, tapping on the door frame beside her, "This is it. Apparently they renamed it at the end of last year but haven't got around to updating the maps and timetables yet."

Ichigo looked at the sign on the door which read 'S6' and frowned. How could the university not have updated the timetables and maps for all the new students? He prayed that this was the only room to be renamed otherwise he was going to have a long week trying to find his classes.

"Thanks," Ichigo smiled gratefully at the girl who'd helped him, "Are you in this class too?"

The girl nodded, "I'm studying medical science."

"Me too!" Ichigo exclaimed.

The girl smiled in return and gave him an enthusiastic high-five. Ichigo laughed in response. He was glad to have made a friend in his course so early.

"I'm Ichigo, by the way, Ichigo Kurosaki" He said as he led them into the lecture hall.

"Rukia Kuchki."

"Kuchki? Any relation to-"

"Byakuya Kuchki?" Rukia grinned, appearing to already know where this was going, "Yeah, he's my brother."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. Byakuya Kuchki was the CEO of Kuchki Industries having recently taken over from his father. As one of the biggest Japanese companies, the Kuchki family were royals in the business world. They were said to be the richest family in the country.

"No way!" Ichigo whistled, "Remind me to introduce to my friend, Renji. It's like his dream to work for your brother."

As the lecturer finally wrapped up his presentation 2 hours later, Ichigo felt as though he had just been punched in the face with information. There was so much content to learn in this subject, he was suddenly nervous that he'd never be able to retain and remember all the information being thrown at him.

Rukia sat beside him with a similar expression. At least he had her; doing the same course meant all of their core subjects would be the same. They could study together. She seemed smart and focused; she'd be able to keep him on track.

The lecture had been interesting, which was another thing he was grateful for. Ichigo was passionate about this course so he was motivated to keep up with the class and pay attention. His only problem was that he would often get fidgety if made to sit still for extended periods of time, and longed for when this class finally turned practical next semester. Ichigo was all too keen to don the white lab coats and play around with the cadavers. A little sick, he supposed, but the best way to learn.

"Are you thinking about joining any clubs?" Rukia asked as they packed their bags and shuffled out the door slowly with the crowd.

"Clubs? I haven't really thought about it," Ichigo replied, scratching the back of his neck in thought.

"You should consider it. Extracurricular activities always look good on a résumé and the university has quite a wide range."

"Which one were you thinking of joining?" Ichigo asked.

Joining a club would be a good way to make friends, Ichigo considered, and also a way for him to get away from his studies when he might need a break. Rukia was right too; it did look good to employers.

"I don't know," Rukia responded, tapping her chin lightly, "I've always liked drawing so perhaps an art club? My brother is fond of calligraphy clubs so that's another idea…"

Ichigo fought back a chuckle. He didn't know Rukia all that well at the moment, but if her drawings were anything like the doodles in the margins of her notebook than the art clubs were in for a massive shock.

"The clubs have set up information stalls in the quad today," Rukia continued, "Maybe we should go down and check them out during lunchtime?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Ichigo beamed.

…

"Oi Ichigo!" The way too loud voice of Renji boomed behind him, "Over here!"

Ichigo swivelled around from his spot beside Rukia. They were standing in front of a stall set up by the 'Manga Club' – a club dedicated to reading manga and writing/drawing their own. Rukia had yanked him over there; apparently she was quite the anime fan, and when combined with art it seemed like a dream come true for her.

He spotted Renji's wild hair a few stalls over as the budding electrical engineer waved enthusiastically at him.

"Hey Rukia," Ichigo turned back to his female companion, "I'll be just over there, okay? Come over when you're done."

Rukia looked at where he was pointing and gave a sharp nod before returning to her discussion with the club leaders, her face lit up in excitement as she got the full run down of the club's activities. Grinning to himself, Ichigo left her and made his way up to Renji.

"What's up, Pineapple?"

"Not much, Strawberry!"

Ichigo's head snapped up in Renji's direction. He had been expecting Renji to over-react and growl out a few choice swear words, but instead he'd come up with his own awful nickname. Ichigo pouted; it wasn't the first time he'd been called that in his life but he still hated it. His brightly coloured orange hair did not help his case in any way either.

"Fuck off," Ichigo barked, although not really mad; he did kind of deserved it for calling his new friend a pineapple.

Renji only grinned in response and gave him a firm pat on the back.

"Thinking of joining a club?" Renji asked.

"Yeah," Ichigo responded, scanning the stalls around him, "Not sure which one though."

"What are you interested in?"

"I was thinking a sport or something else physical," Ichigo responded having thought about it all through his second morning class, "I want something to do when I've been sitting at my desk for too long."

"You and I have that in common," Renji laughed, "I joined the basketball team last year for that reason, and then karate when I felt like getting all my anger out."

"Anger?"

"Girl troubles, y'know?"

Ichigo had to grin. No, he didn't have girl troubles, but he knew what the redhead had meant.

"Hey, maybe you should join the karate club!" Renji suddenly exclaimed, mischief gleaming darkly in his eyes, "We could hang out and you could stare at Hitsugaya's ass…"

Ichigo clapped a hand over Renji's mouth and pulled him into a choke hold. The second year student was laughing uncontrollably, so much so that tears sprung from his eyes and his face turned a deep shade of purple from a lack of breath; a lack of breath that had nothing to do with Ichigo's arm around his neck.

"Would you shut up?" Ichigo hissed, "I told you I don't like him! I barely know him!"

After several more minutes, Renji eventually calmed down enough to apologise, although very unconvincingly, to Ichigo. Ichigo ignored him and gave joining the karate club some serious consideration. He'd done karate as a kid, but he'd been utterly terrible at it. Of course, he'd actually become a fair fighter now, what from all those 'lessons' from his father and the trouble he ran into as a young teenager, but he felt like he needed something else; a sport that was far less disciplined and more fast-paced, perhaps?

Explaining this to Renji, the tall redhead suggested a number of sports.

"Basketball?" – It was true he had the height for it and the stamina, but he'd only ever played it during P.E. at school.

"Soccer?" – Definitely more his sister's area but still quite an energetic sport.

"Baseball? Rugby? American football? Tennis?" – None of these screamed out him.

"Look Ichigo, I think you should seriously consider trying out for the basketball team," Renji sighed, seemingly giving up, "You'd be great at it. Quite a few of the players last year graduated, so there are heaps of spots open."

"Maybe," Ichigo shrugged, it was his best option so far.

"Just think about it this afternoon," Renji pleaded, "The stalls are open all day today and tomorrow as well, so you've got plenty of time to decide."

Ichigo sighed; yes, thinking it over was a good idea. He had to admit, basketball would probably be fun. He knew Renji and Izuru from the team already, so making friends might be that little bit easier. Still though, he'd never really been interested in basketball, having only played during sports class. He hadn't been too bad, if he recalled correctly, but he'd always been quite good at most sports.

…

It wasn't until around 10pm that Ichigo heard Toshiro enter the dorm room – correction; it was around 10pm that Ichigo _didn't_ hear Toshiro enter the door, which was a significant factor in how he wound up in the situation he was in.

At first he thought that maybe the prodigy was studying in his room, but when he had returned from dinner and still not heard anything from Toshiro, he decided to check. He'd knocked and received no reply. Thinking that, perhaps, Toshiro might have been listening to music through earphones, Ichigo then figured he better open the door and see for himself whether his roommate was home or not.

He was greeted to an empty bedroom. At this point, any normal roommate would have shrugged and closed the door, but for some reason Ichigo lingered in the doorway taking in the appearance of Toshiro's bedroom. _They say you can tell a lot about someone from the look of their bedroom,_ Ichigo grinned; this might be an opportunity for him to learn a little more about the young genius he lived with. As it turned out, this was another reason for his current predicament.

The first thing Ichigo noticed about the room was just how immaculately clean, tidy and organised it was. Ichigo couldn't see a speck of dust anywhere. Furthermore, the boy's desk was completely organised, which Ichigo considered to be a great feat considering the amount of books on it. Also on the desk, Ichigo saw a laptop, a framed photograph and a – _is that a boomerang?_

Doing a double take, and then forgetting his manners, Ichigo took a cautious step into the room. Slowly, as if expecting something or someone to jump out of him, he made it to the desk and began inspecting the items on it. He could hardly believe he was snooping around Toshiro's room; he usually appreciated people's privacy, as he liked his own to be respected by others, but here he was checking out Toshiro's room with no good reason for his actions.

Ichigo found that it was, in fact, a boomerang that sat upon his roommate's desk. Running a finger delicately over the fine pattern on its upward face before gently picking it up and flipping it over in his hands, Ichigo wondered why on Earth Toshiro kept this on his desk. Perhaps he'd recently been to Australia?

Shrugging if off for now, Ichigo continued his inspection of the desk. He picked up the framed picture next. The photo was of a much younger, but definitely unmistakeable, Toshiro – probably close to 3 or 4 years old – sitting in the lap of an old woman whom Ichigo assumed to be his grandmother. They were sitting together on a wooden porch of a small house and eating watermelon. Ichigo chuckled quietly as he took in Toshiro's expression – the young child was grinning ear-to-ear, with a missing tooth at the front of his mouth, his eyes were lit up in pure joy.

With a fond smile upon his face, Ichigo gently returned the frame to its previous position, and turned his sights to the books the lined the back of the desk. They were mostly textbooks on science – most specifically, physics – and maths, but there were also a number of other books of various other genres; fiction, history, biography, sport. Ichigo realised that Toshiro was quite the soccer fan, with a few books on it and a large poster of the Japanese world cup team stuck to the wall above his bed.

Around his desk, Toshiro also had several more posters, but they were strictly science based by the looks of things, and obviously home-made. Ichigo ran his gaze over the different tables and diagrams that Toshiro had drawn and couldn't help but admire the boy's intelligence and dedication to his work.

"What are you doing in my room?" An irritated voice snapped from behind him.

And this was the problem he'd caused for himself.

Ichigo – whom had been leaning over the desk in order to get a better look at Toshiro's periodic table – jumped back in shock of being caught red handed. In his haste, he'd knocked over Toshiro's jar of pens and other miscellaneous stationary.

Ichigo shot forward again as he tried to catch the pens as they rolled over the desk, some threatening to fall off the edge. His mind was whirling in an attempt to find a good excuse for being in Toshiro's room. The prodigy himself was standing in the door way; arms crossed and glaring, waiting patiently for an answer. _Silent but deadly._

"I, um – Well, I-" Ichigo fumbled around with the pens, trying desperately to collect them all and replace them to their former position, "I wanted to borrow a pen!"

Ichigo had blurted out his excuse, and held up a pen to Toshiro's scrutinising gaze as if it was all the evidence he required. To be honest, he was quite proud of himself for coming up with it.

Toshiro remained silent as he looked Ichigo up and down, seemingly trying to decide whether or not to trust the inwardly panicking strawberry.

"Get out," Toshiro growled, apparently not entirely convinced.

Ichigo's heart sank a little. He didn't understand why the guy seemed to hate him so much. Toshiro was yet to say something nice to him, or even smile. He always just seemed annoyed at him. Ichigo was a likeable guy, usually making friends off first impressions alone, but Toshiro seemed to think he was just some inconvenience he was forced to bunk with.

Ichigo let his smile visibly drop and sighed; placing the pen he was holding back into the jar and making his way out of the room, head hung. Toshiro said nothing as he side-stepped out of the way to let him through the door

Half way out the door, Ichigo heard Toshiro sigh behind him.

"Kurosaki."

Ichigo turned around slowly to face his roommate. Toshiro eyes were closed, and he was pinching the bridge of his nose. Ichigo waited patiently for the boy – who seemed to be in the middle of a mental debate with himself – to speak again. Instead of talking, the white-haired prodigy stepped forward and plucked a pen out from his jar, and held it out to Ichigo.

"Keep it," He said; his voice was barely above that of a whisper.

Shocked, Ichigo numbly lifted a hand to take the pen from Toshiro, and thanked him quietly. Slowly, ever so slowly, Ichigo could feel his heart warming and the corners of his mouth turning back up. Was this Toshiro actually being nice? Ichigo beamed at the genius who was refusing to meet his eye. Maybe there was hope for him yet…

"You can leave now," Toshiro uttered, returning to his previous cold attitude.

"I'll remember this," Ichigo grinned stupidly, knowing that Toshiro's brashness was just a façade to cover up his genuinely kind heart. Well, at least that's what he assumed was happening.

"I doubt it," Was the instant retort, "You didn't even remember to bring a pen to your first day of college."

Ichigo smirked at Toshiro's sarcasm-laced response. _So the guy does have a sense of humour._

"Good night, Toshiro!"

"Get out of my room, Idiot, and its 'Hitsugaya'!"

…

 **Shameless Australia reference? Ah well.**

 **Thanks for reading and please, please review! Xx**


	3. Due Tomorrow, Do Tomorrow

**And now we hear from Toshiro xx**

…

Chapter 3: Due Tomorrow, Do Tomorrow

Ichigo Kurosaki had been his roommate for a little over a month now, and Toshiro still didn't know what to make of him. It was annoying him too, since he was usually rather adept at reading people.

On one hand, the orange-haired 18 year old was possibly the most annoying person in existence, even more irritating than Rangiku – and that was saying something. Like this morning, for example, when Ichigo had gotten up even earlier than Toshiro and made him tea. Perfectly made, he might add. It infuriated Toshiro that the guy had worked out his morning routine and knew how he liked his morning tea. He wasn't supposed to know stuff like that; he wasn't supposed to get close enough to know stuff like that.

Toshiro was actually suffering a mild case of déjà vu as he recalled a certain busty woman worming her way into his life in a much similar way exactly a year ago. Actually, now that Toshiro thought about it, there were a lot of parallels that he could draw between his supposed 'best friend' and his new roommate. Happy, confident, unyielding in their quest to befriend him, and they even had similar hair colour.

He did have to confess, rather grudgingly, that his friendship with Rangiku had turned out well for him. Not financially, of course, since he often found himself roped into buying her lunch, a new scarf or whatever she fancies at the time – but on an emotional level. He hated to admit it, but he needed her companionship.

That being said, Toshiro already had his hands full with that friendship, and also with his studies and work, so he really couldn't afford taking on another friend, especially one that snored and constantly tried to high-five him.

On the other hand, however, Ichigo was one of the few people at the university who didn't treat him as a kid; one of the few who he didn't have to prove his worthiness to. Ichigo treated him as an equal, maybe even higher than himself. Toshiro could recall the look of utter awe and admiration Ichigo had plastered on his face when Toshiro talked to him about his studies for the first time. Ichigo was so impressed to discover he was studying physics – majoring in astronomy, in preparation for his career as an astrophysicist – and that last year he'd topped his course. It had made Toshiro feel warm inside, in a way he couldn't fathom.

That was another thing that bothered Toshiro immensely; the fact that Ichigo had some weird effect on him. The first time it had happened was when Toshiro had returned to the dorm late and found Ichigo snooping – none too discreetly – around his room. He tried to tell Toshiro that he'd been looking for a pen, but it was so obvious that he was lying, Toshiro wanted to punch him in the face. He'd snapped at him to get out of his room, and the look on Ichigo's face was like a kick to the gut. Toshiro didn't know why but he had felt the instant need to correct the situation or to, at the very least, turn that frown upside down.

It was a foreign concept to him, to want to make someone he barely knew smile, but for some reason Toshiro just could not bear to see the idiotic strawberry upset. Since that night, Toshiro had tried his best to be moderately nice to the guy – not too much, or he'd get a big head – but enough to keep Ichigo happy.

He didn't know what it was, but there was just something about Ichigo Kurosaki that was – for a lack of a better term – _special._

…

"Toshirooooooo!" Rangiku pouted from her place opposite Toshiro, "This is so hard! Can't you do it for me?"

Toshiro released a frustrated sigh; they were only 15 minutes in.

"Rangiku, you asked me to help you. If I do it for you, you'll never learn."

Rangiku frowned and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'bastard' under her breath before returning her gaze to the laptop in front of her.

They were sitting at the small kitchen table in Toshiro's dorm with various books and papers scattered around them. Rangiku was supposed to be writing an essay for her marketing class. It was due tomorrow, but in true Rangiku fashion, she'd left it to the last minute and found that she didn't understand the assignment topic or what she was supposed to write. She was in her third year of her business degree and still left her assignments to the night before, her motto being "Due Tomorrow? Do Tomorrow…"

"Why do I even have to do marketing?" She whined pitifully, "Can't I hire someone else to do that when I start my own business?"

Rangiku's dream was to one day open her own beauty and hair salon, which she planned to name 'Haineko Hair and Beauty', and build it up to be a national franchise with stores all across Japan. She had the practical skills of hairdressing, make-up, and nail therapy behind her, but the business component was seriously lacking, hence her enrolment at KTU.

"Marketing is a key component of business, so yes, you do need it." Toshiro responded, glancing up at her briefly over his own work, "And yes, you could hire someone once your business takes off, but until then, you'll have to do it yourself."

Rangiku groaned and flopped dramatically across the table. It was only 8pm.

Toshiro smirked a little at her theatrical gesture as he twisted his chopsticks in his ramen. The food was his payment for helping her; she'd shout him dinner and bless him with a night away from the ruckus of the dining hall in return for a bit of tutoring.

"Help," Rangiku pleaded with genuine stress in her eyes.

Sighing, Toshiro stood up and rounded the table to observe her progress. She'd highlight the topic on her assignment sheet, and started her essay with "I FUCKING HATE MARKETING!" typed four times down the page.

Good start.

"Okay, your topic is about the effects of developing technology on today's marketing," Toshiro began, pulling Rangiku back into a sitting position, "What can you remember from your lectures about it?"

"I remember that pregnant-looking professor say something about the internet!" She exclaimed happily, "He said that it's changing the way businesses market and advertise now days."

"That's right, but how is it changing it?"

"It…its changing marketing by…um…I don't know!" Rangiku frowned and buried her head in her hands.

"Rangiku, were you, by any chance, painting your nails during this class?" Toshiro questioned her seriously, recalling the big commerce assignment meltdown last year.

Rangiku threw him a withering glare before aggressively stabbing at her own ramen.

Toshiro began to feel sorry for her, and so he picked up her marketing textbook and flipped through it in search of the topic she was supposed to be writing about, while giving her back a comforting rub. He wasn't sure where this whole 'having a heart' and 'being kind' shit was coming from, but it had spread from the way he treated Ichigo to the way he treats Rangiku; like a disease. Toshiro was very uncomfortable with it. He missed the days when he'd say "Too damn bad" and slam the door in her face.

"Here you go," Toshiro said, returning her textbook ten minutes later, "I've put tabs on the pages you need to read, and highlighted the really important points. Read through it all, and then we can develop your thesis."

She squealed and launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his head and pushing him deep into the 'valley of death' that was her chest. Toshiro struggled but it was no use. Well, he was a black belt, so of course he could get out of it if he really needed to, but he didn't want to have to hurt Rangiku to do so.

"Am I interrupting something?"

Toshiro could just make out the muffled cheeky voice of Ichigo. The aspiring doctor had obviously finished having dinner down at the dining hall and slipped through the door during the first stages of Toshiro's suffocation.

"Ichigo!" Rangiku exclaimed happily, releasing Toshiro to wave stupidly at him.

Toshiro stumbled back a few steps, reeling and gasping for air. He felt a strong hand grasp is upper arm and another at the base of his back to steady him. Black spots swam all over his field of vision as Toshiro waited somewhat impatiently for his breathing to return to normal.

"Rangiku!" He groaned, panting a little, "If you suffocate me…I won't be able to help you…with your essay!"

His vision clearing, Toshiro was able to see Rangiku give a guilty smile, "Sorry, Tosh, I won't do it again!"

"Yes, you will," Toshiro muttered, choosing to ignore that ridiculous nickname.

Rangiku giggled and from behind him, Toshiro could hear Ichigo's deep chuckle. He was suddenly very aware that his idiotic roommate still had a secure hold on him. It was odd, because Toshiro hated physical contact from others, with Rangiku, Momo and Granny being the sole exceptions since they were family (well, Rangiku wasn't, but she came pretty damn close), but he didn't really mind Ichigo touching him like he was currently. It was kind of warm, actually, comforting even.

Ichigo must have realised what he was doing as he suddenly released him. Toshiro thanked him quietly, ducking his head a little so no one would see the light blush that had graced his cheeks. Silence crept over the room; Ichigo was scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, and Rangiku's eyes were darting between them. Toshiro could see mischief brewing in his female companion's eyes; a look he knew all too well.

"I'm going to have a shower," Toshiro announced, "I expect you to have read those pages I tagged by the time I get out, Rangiku."

She gave him a mock salute, followed by a sarcastic "Yes Sir!" and a playful wink.

Toshiro shook his head and turned towards his bedroom.

"Toshiro!" called Ichigo, "I'm putting the kettle on; do you want a tea or something?"

Toshiro had tea twice a day, every day, sometimes more when studying. He had green tea – no sugar – in the mornings to wake him up and a cup of camomile tea – with one teaspoon of honey – every night before bed to help him wind down. Toshiro also liked coffee, but saved it for when he was extra tired, like after having done an all-nighter or in preparation to do an all-nighter, of which was looking very likely tonight.

"Coffee, please," Toshiro answered, looking over his shoulder at his tall roomie, "Black, one sugar. I think I'm going to need it tonight."

He heard Rangiku groan as she accepted her fate and asked Ichigo for a coffee as well.

…

"Toshiro."

Toshiro's mind was foggy; thoughtless.

"Toshiro, time to get up."

Words began to form in his clouded brain as he became aware of a soft voice calling his name and something prodding his arm gently.

He groaned, trying to shake off the annoying nudging and get another few minutes of sleep; beautiful, warm sleep.

"Toshiro, wake up."

Feeling the warmth slowly recede, Toshiro now only felt cool air surrounding him and a cold, hard surface on which his head rested. Blinking slowly, and wincing at the light of day that his eyes were not prepared for, Toshiro found himself hunched over the kitchen table. His reading glasses were sitting askew on his face and a pen was still poised loosely in his hand.

"Good morning, Star shine!"

Toshiro jerked up only to come face to face with a grinning Ichigo. Still quite mentally out of it, Toshiro pulled off his glasses, setting them down on the table, before rubbing his eyes and forcing his mind to catch up as he took in his surroundings.

Rangiku was asleep on the couch, her marketing textbook lay open and face down across her stomach and she was wearing one of Toshiro's baggy hoodies. Ichigo was kneeling next to him, a steaming mug in his hand, as he looked upon him with soft, caring eyes.

"Here," Ichigo handed the mug to Toshiro, "Drink up, get dressed and then we are going down to breakfast."

Toshiro opened his mouth to protest, since he rarely ate breakfast, but was shushed by Ichigo.

"You two were still up at 4am when I went to the bathroom, which means you've had under three hours sleep," He began in a lecturing tone, "Today is Thursday; your longest day, plus you have work tonight. You are going to come to the dining hall with me to get a proper breakfast and that's final."

Ichigo's voice had an air of authority to it, and left no room for discussion. When Toshiro said nothing in response – mostly out of shock – he turned and marched into bathroom.

With no proper thoughts running through his head, Toshiro took a few sips of his tea – his impeccably brewed tea – to get his mind working again. He was slow in the mornings, which was why he tended to get up a little earlier in order to let his mind adjust and operate normally by the time he had to start getting ready.

He moved over to the couch to rouse Rangiku from her sleep. It was never an easy task to wake her, so he had to resort to shaking her rather violently and smacking her softly with one of the couch cushions.

He let her have a sip of his tea to get her up and going. He was usually his most generous when he was tired, probably due to the fact he couldn't be bothered to argue.

"Did we finish it?!" Rangiku exclaimed, suddenly remembering why she was in his dorm in the first place.

"I think so," Toshiro winced at the high pitch of her voice, "But read through it before you print anything; God knows what I let you write at 4 in the morning."

After inspecting the laptop to see that they had, in fact, completed her essay, Rangiku squealed in delight and gathered her things together.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She squeezed the life out of him, "You're the best, Toshiro, you really are!"

"I know," Toshiro yawned, practically pushing her out the door, "Try to pay attention in class more, okay."

Not waiting to hear her reply, Toshiro shut the door firmly. He gathered his books off the table and staggered off to his bedroom to get dressed for breakfast.

…

Just over a fortnight after Toshiro's almost all-nighter with Rangiku, he found himself suddenly accosted in the quad where he'd been studying all afternoon by the devil herself and his orange-haired roommate.

"TOSHIRO!" Rangiku called, skipping towards him happily, Ichigo jogging beside her.

He glanced up at them and sighed. He'd come out here to study while it was quiet; he didn't have an afternoon class today and the quad was mostly empty. The mid-May weather was also quite pleasant, and Toshiro found he was warm enough in just a thin cardigan.

"What is it now, Rangiku?"

"I got a B!" She exclaimed enthusiastically, waving piece of paper in front of his face.

"Largely thanks to you, of course," Ichigo chimed in, leaning down to ruffle Toshiro's hair.

Toshiro battered his hand away and fixed him the most deadly glare he could manage. Ichigo laughed nervously and took a small step back.

"What are you talking about, Ran?" Toshiro asked his big-breasted friend as he turned to give her his attention.

"I got a B!" She repeated cheerfully, passing him the piece of paper, "Low range B, but still a B! And on a subject I know nothing about!"

Toshiro inspected the paper. It was her grading sheet from the marketing essay they spent all night working on. She had gotten 71.5/100, which by their university was a B range mark. High C's and Low B's were Rangiku's average marks, so when he helped her, that's what he aimed for. Being a genius, Toshiro could have done the essay alone and got an A range mark without having been to a single marketing class, but he had to make it look genuine that Rangiku had done the work. She had done most of the actual writing, of course, he'd never write it for her, but he had gathered all the information and made specific notes about what to include in her arguments.

"Congratulations, Rangiku," He smirked sarcastically.

"I love you, I really do," She cooed, planting a sloppy kiss on his forehead.

He told her to fuck off but she just kissed him again. Ichigo roared with laughter, quite obviously amused by Toshiro's distress. Rangiku and Ichigo had become pretty good friends lately – too good in Toshiro's opinion – which often lead to them ganging up on him.

"Save it for Ichimaru," Toshiro snapped, pushing Rangiku off him, and returning to his work. He heard her giggle from above him.

"I'll see you at work tonight, Tosh!" Rangiku grinned and ran off; narrowly avoiding the pen he threw at her.

They worked together at a hair salon down the street. Rangiku had done a night-time hair dressing course during her last year of high school and first year of college which allowed her a junior position at the small shop, and when she'd first met Toshiro, he was looking for causal work – mostly just for extra spending money, since he was on a full scholarship that included boarding expenses – and got him an evening job sweeping hair up at her work.

When the shop owner passed away, her daughter took over the salon, but unfortunately, while she was a brilliant hairdresser, she had no idea about how to run a business. Toshiro tried to help her learn the basics; payroll, accounts, ordering supplies, etc., and ended up taking over the entire written side of the business. It wasn't hard since it was a rather small business and it kept him busy three nights a week, so in truth Toshiro didn't mind it.

"She's lucky to have you," Ichigo quipped, walking over to pick up the pen Toshiro had thrown at his best friend.

Toshiro released an exasperated sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers.

"Yeah," Toshiro grunted, "She'd be fucking failing otherwise."

"Yeah, um, about that…" Ichigo asked, wringing his hands together nervously, "I, um…I was wondering…"

Toshiro eyed off the mumbling teen. Ichigo had never come across as timid but right now he was stumbling over his words and his voice sounded a little shaky.

"Spit it out, idiot. I haven't got all day."

"Oh okay, yes, um, I have an assignment and-"

"You need help?"

"Ahh yes, well no, I-"

"Kurosaki!"

"I understand the subject," Ichigo stated, seeming finally able to get to the point, "But at school, I was never good a writing essays, so I was wondering if you could help me with structuring it and whatever else…um, please?"

Toshiro sighed. People really needed to go somewhere else for help; he wasn't a teacher.

"When's it due?" He asked apprehensively, raising a questioning eyebrow at the strawberry; if Ichigo was anything like Rangiku than tomorrow would be his answer.

"Friday, next week," Ichigo answered firmly. Well, that made him the less useless of the two.

"Fine," Toshiro reluctantly agreed, "Sunday afternoon, our dorm, bring food."

Toshiro couldn't help but blush a little as Ichigo beamed at him, thanking him over and over.

"Okay, now fuck off, I'm studying."

…

 **Oh look, their relationship is growing! Yaaay ~~~**

 **Thanks for reading, and pretty please review, I'd like to know how everyone is feeling about it.**

 **PS: I'm so hungover right now.**


	4. Building Trust

Chapter 4: Building Trust

Two months into the academic year and Ichigo could honestly say that he loved college. While the hype of starting university was wearing off most of the freshmen who now trudged into class with frowns on their faces, Ichigo was still as keen as he was on day one. Classes were interesting and he'd done really well on his first round of assignments. He had ended up trying out for the basketball team, and, as it turned out, he wasn't half bad. Last night they had played their first match and won. Ichigo had also made so many friends; most through Renji and the team, but also some in his classes and from the boarding house.

As his eyes drifted to the small form curled up on the other end of the couch, Ichigo did have to admit that his favourite thing so far was his gradually improving relationship with his roommate. Just as he had thought, Toshiro had only needed some time to warm up to him. These days they were pretty good friends; well, Toshiro might have categorized them as 'acquaintances' but still a massive step up from their first week living together.

"Is there any reason you keep staring at me, Kurosaki?" Toshiro asked, his voice tinged with mild irritation as he glanced up from the book in his hands.

 _Oh crap_ – caught again.

"I wasn't staring, I was just-"

A loud knock on the door rang through the dorm and successfully saved Ichigo from explaining his embarrassing actions.

"I'll get it!" Ichigo exclaimed, wasting no time in jumping to his feet and striding over to the door.

Pulling the door open, Ichigo wasn't surprised to find Rangiku on the other side, since she visited them more than any of Ichigo's friends, but he _was_ surprised to find her crying. She had red, puffy eyes and tear tracks stained down her cheeks. Hiccupping quietly, she held her phone and a soggy, crumpled up tissue in one hand.

"Rangiku!" Ichigo gasped, "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering with words, Rangiku's face scrunched up and she covered her face with her free hand as she burst into a fresh round of sobs.

Quickly pulling her inside and shutting the door with a kick, Ichigo drew the crying woman into his arms. She pressed her face into his shoulder, body shaking, and Ichigo could feel his shirt slowly becoming soaked from her tears. What on Earth could bring the happy-go-luck woman down?

Glancing back at the couch for Toshiro's help, Ichigo found that the prodigy was not there. Where did he go? Surely, he wouldn't leave Ichigo to deal with his hysterical 'best friend'.

Ichigo led the very distraught Rangiku to the couch and pulled her down beside him. Just then, Toshiro emerged from his bedroom with something tucked under his arm and headed into the kitchen without a glance in their direction. Not being able to see what the white-haired male was up to with his back to him, Ichigo's curiosity peaked.

Ichigo rubbed soothing circles onto Rangiku's back as the 21 year old continued to cry her heart out on his shoulder. A minute later, Toshiro exited the kitchen and came to kneel on the floor beside Rangiku's legs, and placed his various items on the coffee table. Ichigo was surprised to find that he'd brought over a box of tissues, a tub of ice cream, three spoons, three cups and a bottle of sake.

"Sake?" He questioned.

Technically, they weren't allowed to have alcohol on campus, and legally, neither Ichigo nor Toshiro were old enough to drink it since the drinking age in Japan was 20, but this was college, so most dorms had their secret stashes.

"It's better that she drinks here under our supervision, than alone in her dorm or on the streets," Toshiro explained with a frown, uncapping the bottle and filling a cup, "Because either way, she is going to drink…At least, I make her drink it out of a cup and not the bottle."

Toshiro handed Rangiku the cup as she detached herself from Ichigo's side. He then proceeded to take the lid off the ice cream and hand her a spoon. His actions looked automatic, and mildly robotic, as though this was just a casual everyday afternoon.

"You've done this before," Ichigo stated, watching in shock at the ease the two best friends fell into a comfort routine.

"Too many times," Toshiro sighed softly, reaching up to gently wipe the last of the tears off Rangiku's face.

"It's the only time he's nice to me," Rangiku hiccupped, a bitter sweet laugh to accompany her words.

Ichigo chuckled softly at her weak attempt at humour, and accepted the spoon Toshiro held out for him. Apparently the three of them were going to sit around the tub of ice cream and share it while Rangiku told them of her woes.

"Now, Rangiku, is this about something other than Ichimaru, or should I pour myself a cup too?" Toshiro asked tonelessly.

Rangiku's face screwed up, and she whispered solemnly, "You better start pouring…"

Toshiro's face remained expressionless as he once again lifted the bottle of sake to fill another cup. He looked up at Ichigo and pointed the bottle to him, silently asking if he'd like to join them. Stunned beyond words that Toshiro actually drank – since he came across as a real by-the-book kind of guy – Ichigo could only nod his consent.

"You drink, Toshiro?"

"Sometimes," He replied curtly, and not expanding further as he handed Ichigo his own sake cup.

Toshiro retuned his attention to Rangiku, who was avoiding his gaze by studying her cup of sake like it was a piece of abstract art. He found her hand with his and held it, running his thumb gently over her knuckles.

Ichigo was always amazed when he watched the two of them interact. Their personalities were opposite and yet they got along so well. Rangiku was friendly with everyone, but from what he could tell, she only ever opened up truthfully to Toshiro. She was the most popular person at this school and yet she'd give up anything and everything just to hang out with the 14 year old prodigy whom everyone called "cold". Toshiro did come across as cold, and rude too, doing his absolute best to push people away, and yet here he was, comforting Rangiku Matsumoto in a way only a best friend would know. Ichigo had never seen this side of him before; behind closed doors, Toshiro was gentle and kind and warm.

"What'd he do this time?" Toshiro ground out, sounding as though he was trying to supress a lot of anger.

Rangiku didn't answer straight away; she put down her near-empty sake cup and picked up the ice cream tub before placing it on her lap and stabbing her spoon into it rather aggressively.

"He cheated on me," She eventually answered.

She took a deep breath before taking a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. They were obviously talking about her boyfriend – the recently graduated Gin Ichimaru. Ichigo wasn't sure how it was possible for someone to cheat on a girl like her; she ticked all the boxes when it came to being the perfect girl – she was beautiful, funny, compassionate and wholehearted.

Toshiro's face was strained but he kept quiet, willing her to continue. She handed him her phone.

"He told me this morning – read the texts." Rangiku told them, new tears building in her eyes.

Ichigo plucked a new tissue from the box and gave it to her. She thanked him quietly, dabbing at her leaking eyes, and shakily taking another spoonful of ice cream. Rangiku offered him the tub and Ichigo took it from her grasp. _Misery loves company_ , Ichigo thought with a shrug as he dug his own spoon in.

Toshiro was silently scrolling through her texts, pausing every so often to take a sip from his sake, open his mouth as though he was about to say something and then take another sip of his sake. Ichigo theorised that by drinking, Toshiro was supressing the urge to say what was on his mind, which was probably something about how much he hated Gin Ichimaru. Ichigo didn't have to be a mastermind to work out there was some animosity between the two of them; possibly because they were both so close to Rangiku, and/or because they were often compared due to their same status as geniuses.

"He hasn't even apologized," Toshiro said at last, his voice low and dripping with venom, "He just told you, and then tried to justify it by saying he did it because he hardly sees you anymore and needed a – quote – "physical release"."

According to Izuru, Gin was offered a job straight after graduating and had to move to the main city, which was an hour's car or train trip away. Since Rangiku lived on campus, she usually only got to see him on the weekends they were both free.

"That's fucking pathetic!"

It was Ichigo who had spoken this time. He was outraged. He might not have known the full story or ever met Gin, but he didn't need to. Cheating was wrong, period. He had only started hanging out with Rangiku this last month, but she was still his friend and he felt protective over her like he did his closest friends and family.

"I know, Ichigo, but you don't understand," Rangiku looked at him with a grim smile, "We've been friends since we were kids. I love him."

"And yet, he treats you like this!" Ichigo argued, trying to keep his voice calm for her sake, "When you're in love with someone, cheating just shouldn't happen. That one person should be the only person on your mind, and you should be fucking happy about it, not going around banging other women."

Okay, Ichigo was rather passionate about hating infidelity. It'd never happened to him, but he considered it to be a deal-breaker; he'd never stay with someone if they betrayed him like that, no matter how much he loved them. Loyalty was at the very top of his list of qualities that any future boyfriend of his must have.

"So you want me to break up with him then?" Rangiku asked trying to sound aggressive but it was coming out more sad and afraid, her voice cracking towards the end.

"I would if someone did that to me," Ichigo responded truthfully and as gently as he could muster.

Rangiku nodded, hiccupped and turned her attention back to Toshiro, who had now moved up to sit on the couch at her other side.

"And you?" She asked him, "You've never liked Gin."

"It's not about whether I like him or not," Toshiro answered in a clipped tone, "It's about whether he still makes you happy."

"He does make me happy."

"Does he?" Toshiro pushed, "I'm sure he did at first, but since we've been back at school, you're fighting with him over text at least twice a week, and you come to me crying at least once a fortnight."

Ichigo hadn't realised the situation was that bad, and almost had to shove a fist in his mouth to keep from commenting on it. He would have to leave this one to Toshiro; he knew Rangiku better.

"All this crying, Ran, it isn't you. You're happy and fun and playful. I hate that he is hurting you all the time," Toshiro continued, "What if it was me in your position? What would you want me to do?"

Ichigo watched as Rangiku's face screwed up in horror and knew that Toshiro had played his trump card. It was widely known that Rangiku was fiercely protective over the young genius; she'd kill anyone for merely thinking of hurting Toshiro. Slowly, realisation dawned on Rangiku as her expression morphed into resigned understanding; she would have told Toshiro to break up with any girl – _or guy,_ Ichigo added thoughtfully – who had done what Gin had done to her.

Rangiku's rapidly deteriorating strength collapsed as she burst into heavy sobs and threw herself onto Toshiro. The 14 year old wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her while she cried. She'd accepted what she had to do, and was grieving over her loss.

…

"Why are you close with Rangiku, but so distant from everyone else?" Ichigo asked his roommate out of the blue later that night.

Toshiro only shrugged in reply as he walked around the coffee table, picking up tear-soaked tissues and chucking them in the empty ice cream tub before it went in the trash. It was late now, coming up on 11pm, and Toshiro had already had his night time tea.

It had been several hours since Rangiku had first arrived at their door. She'd been with them for the rest of the afternoon; crying, drinking, complaining that she was going to get fat from all the ice cream but eventually they coaxed her back to her normal smiley self. She had made the decision to break up with Gin when she visits him next weekend. Once she had calmed down, she seemed to accept it and be okay with it; it was sad but needed to be done. Rangiku had only just left, returning home to the dorm that she shared with her friend Nanao Ise.

"I think you'd have a lot of friends if you didn't push people away so often…" Ichigo continued since he'd got no answer.

"What makes you think that I'd want friends?" Toshiro muttered, resting the now empty bottle of sake in the tissue-filled tub before turning towards the kitchen.

"Everyone wants friends."

"Not me."

"Why not?" Ichigo pursued.

"Why so many questions?" Toshiro snapped, turning to glare at him.

It was Ichigo's turn to shrug.

Obviously the ice wall that surrounded him and kept people away had resurrected now that Rangiku had left for the day. Ichigo didn't understand how he could go from being so sincere, caring and affectionate to stony, aloof and tense all in one evening. Where was the Toshiro that hugged Rangiku for an hour while she sobbed on him?

"You're a mystery, Toshiro," Ichigo responded, "One that I'd like to understand better."

The Toshiro he had seen today was beautiful, and he wanted to see more of it. He wanted Toshiro to be like that with him. He had to laugh a little; he was actually feeling a little jealous of Rangiku and how close their relationship was.

"Don't waste your time, Kurosaki," Toshiro advised coolly, "I'm hardly worth it."

"What?" Ichigo questioned disbelievingly, replaying Toshiro's last line in his head to ensure he had actually heard it.

Toshiro didn't answer. He put the tub of tissues and sake bottle in the trash can and turned towards his bedroom. Ichigo decided not to let him run away from this and swiftly stood up, striding over to meet the boy in front of his door. Ichigo slid between Toshiro and his bedroom door just as the boy was about to reach for the doorknob. The dorm room became suddenly very still and eerily quiet. Toshiro looked at his hand outstretched hand, shocked to have had his path block before he turned his furious gaze upon Ichigo.

"Kurosaki," He growled.

"We're going to talk about this, Toshiro," Ichigo commanded, "Why don't you think you're worth it?"

"It's 'Hitsugaya', idiot," Toshiro spat, "Now move or I'll fucking move you myself."

"Why don't you think you're worth it?" Ichigo repeated, this time louder and clearer, and ignored Toshiro's threat. He had no doubt that the boy could easy move him; he wasn't a black belt for nothing.

"We're not friends, Kurosaki," Toshiro hissed.

"Yes, we are, Toshiro!" Ichigo exclaimed, "We live together. You lend me your pens and help me with my assignments. Today, you let me stay with you and Rangiku, and drink with you of all things!"

"That doesn't make us friends."

Toshiro was mad. His voice was dangerously low and his eyes spelt murder. Ichigo was actually beginning to get nervous; perhaps this had not been the right approach…but he was here now, so he might as well follow through and pray that he makes some ground with the frosty boy genius.

"It does to me," Ichigo whispered, placing a hand on the boy's thin shoulder.

Toshiro flinched at the contact but otherwise said nothing. He simply glared up angrily at the obstacle his way. They stood in absolute silence. Ichigo held the eye contact, staring hard into those intense cerulean orbs and challenging Toshiro to say something else…but the boy remained quiet. It seemed like many minutes had passed when Toshiro eventually broke their staring contest and looked uncomfortably at his feet. Ichigo knew he was winning; he could see the mental torment in Toshiro's eyes before he looked away. The prodigy was torn between opening up to Ichigo and staying securely behind his ice wall. Ichigo had the feeling he had dipped into something a little more complex than just a kid who doesn't play well with others, and that Toshiro was trying to keep himself closed off for other reasons.

"People leave," Toshiro eventually answered in a quiet tone, shrugging as if it was the simplest answer in the world.

Stunned and with no idea how to respond, Ichigo let Toshiro push him aside and enter his bedroom. Slowly, he turned around to face Toshiro, and to his surprise, the prodigy had not slammed the door behind him but had left it wide open. Toshiro's back was to him; his stance rigid like a statue in the centre of the dark room. Ichigo took a step under the threshold; he had a feeling Toshiro wasn't finished.

"Rangiku went to Australia in March before school started back up…She gave me the boomerang," Toshiro continued softly as Ichigo spared a glance at the aforementioned item sitting innocently on the desk, "She said it means that no matter how many times I try to throw her away, she'll keep coming back."

Ichigo remained silent, willing Toshiro to continue as he stared at the genius' back.

"She's the one exception. Well, her and my grandmother…but she's old now; she'll leave soon too. Everyone leaves."

"I'm not going to leave," Ichigo stated firmly, finally piecing together what Toshiro was trying to say to him.

He didn't have to have his masters in psychology to know that the prodigy was dealing with some heavy abandonment issues. The boy had named his grandmother and best friend as the only two who wouldn't desert him; what about his parents? Or his cousin, Momo? Ichigo was sure there was a story behind it all, and maybe he could ask Rangiku about it later if Toshiro doesn't volunteer the information himself – and Ichigo highly doubted he would.

"You don't know that," Toshiro laughed bitterly, turning to face Ichigo, "You don't know me."

"I know how you like your tea," Ichigo offered with a half-smile, "And at what time of the day you want it. I know that you're ambidextrous, although you prefer to write with your left hand. I know that you like mint or anything that contains mint…"

"How do you know all that?" Toshiro asked, his voice barely louder than a whisper, shock written across his face.

Ichigo shrugged before taking a few quick steps to place him directly in front of Toshiro. Those beautiful teal eyes were shimmering in dark, filled with astonishment. Toshiro's lips were sightly parted and Ichigo had to supress the strong urge in the back of his mind to not lean down to find out if they were as soft and kissable as they looked.

"You're interesting, and I'm observant," Ichigo answered at last, "I'm not leaving, Toshiro. I'm staying here and I'm getting to know you better."

"Why?" Toshiro asked, his voice sounding closer to his actual age than it normally did.

"Because there is something about you," Ichigo whispered, cupping the boy's cheek with one hand and silently marvelling at how soft it felt, "Something…something special."

Ichigo leant down and pressed a soft kiss to Toshiro's other cheek. He wasn't sure what he was doing, but the black belt hadn't punched him in the throat yet so he figured he hadn't stepped too far over the line; it just felt like the natural thing to do. Withdrawing quickly, Ichigo's heart was pounding in his chest but he willed his face to remain calm and controlled.

"I'm not going anywhere, so you better get used to me," Ichigo stated, taking a step back and offering Toshiro a cheeky smile.

Toshiro blinked owlishly at him, holding his hand to the spot Ichigo had just kissed, as if his mind was yet to catch up with this turn of events. Ichigo held back a smirk at the supposed genius' slow moment, and retreated back to the door frame.

"Good night, Toshiro."

"Good night," Toshiro replied so softly, Ichigo almost missed it, "…Ichigo."

…

 **Okay, well Ichigo seems to have made some serious ground with Toshiro here. I wasn't planning to have them excel this quickly but once I start typing I can't always help myself. Let me know if you think I should slow it down, but I still don't intend on having them get together for several chapters yet.**

 **Pretty please review; I'd love some feedback, so give me your opinions. Okie dokie, until next week, my loves, kisses and hugs xoxo**


	5. Tell Me A Story, A Happy One

Chapter 5: Tell Me A Story, A Happy One.

Toshiro arrived back to the dorm after karate to find his tall, orange-haired roommate sprawled across the couch in a deep sleep. He was snoring a little louder than he normally would and drooling on the edge of his pillow. Toshiro smirked at the image.

Quietly going about his evening routine, Toshiro showered, changed into his sweatpants and brought his books out to the kitchen table to study and work on the assignment that was due next week. He preferred to study in the main room as opposed to the bedroom because the lighting was nicer on his eyes. He popped his reading glasses on and took a seat at the table. It wasn't that his eye sight was actually that terrible; he wore his glasses mainly to help him concentrate.

With a quick glance to his right, Toshiro was also willing to admit privately that Ichigo's snoring was a nice background noise; it was rhythmic and consistent and helped to keep Toshiro on task. Oddly enough, it also helped him get to sleep at night since he could often hear it through the thin wall that separated their bedrooms. It was, overall, a comforting noise…like the pitter patter of rain.

It _was_ a comforting noise.

Ichigo's snoring was replaced by loud, harsh coughs. The orange-haired teenager sprung into a sitting position, one hand covering his mouth and the other gripping the back of the couch. Toshiro cringed at the sound as it turned wet. He watched as Ichigo's coughs subsided and he pulled his hand back to observe it with a strangled "yuck."

Toshiro quickly grabbed the tissue box off the table and moved to Ichigo's side. Ichigo jumped a little when Toshiro appeared next to him silently, and the prodigy had to stifle a gasp at the strawberry's appearance. Ichigo's noise was red but the rest of his face a ghostly pale. There were dark rings under his eyes and his lips were dry and chapped. Short orange spikes had stuck to his forehead as sweat emanated from his pores.

Toshiro wordlessly handed Ichigo a tissue to wipe his hand with and then another to blow his dripping nose.

"You're sick," Toshiro stated matter-of-factly.

"No 'm not," The strawberry argued, his voice tired and hoarse, "Just dust allergies."

"Allergies make you sneeze and get watery eyes, they don't make you cough up phlegm and sweat out of your forehead." Toshiro informed him, "As a future doctor, you should learn to recognise the symptoms of a common cold."

"I know the symptoms," Ichigo mumbled miserably before ripping a new tissue out of the box in Toshiro's hands and sneezing violently into it.

"I think I'm just going to leave this with you…" Toshiro grimaced, placing the box gently in his roommate's lap.

Toshiro heard Ichigo murmur something about having a shower, before shakily rising to his feet and trudging into his room. The teen emerged a few seconds later with a towel and shuffled towards the bathroom. The white-haired prodigy sighed before returning to his study.

It had been two nights since their 'deep and meaningful' talk, as Rangiku would call it, and Toshiro was still confused about how he felt about the whole thing. Part of him had been glad to get that information off his chest, but the other part of him was scared shitless to have let Ichigo in even that far. His roommate's eyes had been so full of empathy and care…It made Toshiro anxious.

He had told Ichigo the truth about why he doesn't like making friends – because they all end up leaving him – but even then, that'd just been the tip of the iceberg and the vaguest possible explanation he could give. Toshiro dealt with having Rangiku around – mostly because he knew that if she was going to leave, she would have already done it, but she was way too persistent about staying by him. In the first few months of her trying to befriend him, he'd thrown every possible grenade in his arsenal to destroy that relationship before it could form; he'd be rude, he'd been arrogant, he threatened her, and one time he even tried to hit on her, but she had just laughed and told him to stop being 'silly' and take her shopping.

With Ichigo, Toshiro wanted to fight it so badly, but something kept stopping him. It was a big part of the reason he'd told Ichigo anything the other night; he could have just as easily drop-kicked the fucker into next week…but he didn't, and he didn't want to, and he hated that he didn't want to. Toshiro had spent many years building up his defences and projecting a cold, stern exterior. Rangiku had dug under it to make her way inside, but Ichigo was destroying it from the outside, hell bent on getting in. If the orange-haired idiot kept this up, Toshiro didn't think he was going to hold out much longer.

And then there was that kiss on the cheek. What the fuck was that?! Toshiro's cheek had tingled for a good half hour after that. It had felt good in a way that Toshiro didn't understand. His granny kissed him on the cheek all the time, and Rangiku tried it when she was feeling brave, but never had it felt like it had when Ichigo did it. Toshiro was not as innocent as many people thought; he had kissed a couple boys before, and he'd kissed a girl too before he'd known any better and come to the conclusion that he was, in fact, gay. Even then, the drunken hook ups with those two guys had felt nothing like Toshiro had felt from a mere kiss on the cheek from that damn strawberry.

The sound of retching broke Toshiro out of his thoughts. His eyes immediately went to the bathroom door. Ichigo sounded like he was vomiting. Scratch that – he sounded like he was dry heaving and nothing was coming out. Waiting for it to finish, Toshiro headed over to the door and knocked gently.

"Kurosaki?"

He heard a muffled "come in" and slowly opened the door. Ichigo had obviously just come out of the shower, droplets of water running down his well-toned stomach to the towel that hung a little too loosely around his waist. The 18 year old was leaning heavily over the sink and washing his mouth out. Keeping his eyes away the deep V of Ichigo's abdomen – which was not at all like a giant arrow to his dick – Toshiro sighed and leaned back against the door frame.

"I think you should go to bed now, Kurosaki," He muttered, "You're obviously quite ill."

"Worried about me, Toshiro?" Ichigo tried to grin but it appeared to be more of a pained half-smile than anything else.

"Of course not," Toshiro smirked, "But the sounds of your sickness are disrupting my study, so…"

Ichigo's began to laugh at Toshiro's response but was harshly interrupted by another severe coughing fit. Toshiro frowned; in truth, he was a little worried – he didn't like to see Ichigo suffering. Taking two steps forward, Toshiro bent down to open the little cabinet door underneath the basin and pulled out a small tub.

"Chest rub," He announced, handing it to the now recovering first year student, "Put this on and then go to bed."

"You're not going to apply it for me?" Ichigo asked, winking. Toshiro raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"In your dreams, Kurosaki," He growled, hoping the heat he felt in his cheeks wasn't visible, "Now go."

"Dun' wanna," Ichigo whined, "I'm hungry and it's dinner time."

Ichigo went to take a step past Toshiro towards the door, but as soon as his arms were no longer holding him up over the sink and his whole weight transferred to his legs, he crumpled to the ground. Karate reflexes kicking in, Toshiro was able to dive down quick enough to catch him before he hit the hard tiles. The child prodigy took a deep breath, willing himself not to drop the 18 year old who was at least a foot taller than him and probably close to double his own weight, and slung Ichigo's limp arm over his shoulders. Forcing his knees to straighten, Toshiro managed to pull Ichigo up so that he was standing somewhat shakily on his two feet.

Ichigo groaned, and brought his hand up to cover his eyes. To him, the world was probably spinning around too fast.

"Kurosaki, you are very sick," Toshiro huffed as Ichigo lent against him, "You're going to bed and that's final. I'll bring you something to eat."

Ichigo only nodded.

…

"I didn't know you could cook," Ichigo stated when Toshiro re-entered his bedroom with a bowl of soup and a slice of toast on a tray, as well as a steaming cup of tea.

"My grandmother taught me," Toshiro informed him, gently setting the tray on Ichigo's lap, "But this soup came from a can, so it's not really cooking."

Ichigo smiled gratefully at him and dipped his toast into the soup before taking a rather large bite. Glad that his roommate had not lost his appetite despite his rather severe cold, Toshiro turned to leave, but felt a strong hand grip his wrist.

"Stay, Toshiro," Ichigo looked up at him with imploring eyes that no mere mortal could refuse, "Please."

Toshiro hated that look so much. How was it even possible for a happy-go-lucky idiot such as Ichigo to have such an effect on the cold-hearted aloof child prodigy that was himself? It was fucking ridiculous, if he did say so himself. To be fair, it wasn't just the look, but also the pleading voice and desperate grip around his wrist.

"Fine," Toshiro grumbled, pulling the desk chair over to the bed and taking a seat, "Are you feeling any better?"

Ichigo nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, much better since I've been sitting here. The heat of the shower probably didn't help…"

Toshiro looked at him sceptically. Ichigo still looked quite sick. Sure, the dizziness had probably gone and any headache he might have had most likely soothed now that he wasn't under the bright lights, but his nose was still red and dripping, his voice still hoarse and Toshiro had heard him coughing only seconds before he had brought in the soup.

"You should rest," Toshiro advised, "I don't think you'll be making it to class tomorrow…or to basketball training."

Ichigo groaned, "But I've got a prac lesson in the morning…"

"And how are you going to get there if you can't even walk properly, Idiot?" Toshiro questioned him, "The Kuchki girl is stronger than she looks, I'm sure, but I don't think she's that strong."

Ichigo pouted. Toshiro glared.

Sighing in resignation, Ichigo lifted the tea to his lips and took a sip. Immediately he pulled it back to study it in interest.

"What tea is this?" He asked, coughing a little.

"Elderflower," Toshiro answered, "It's good for common colds, sinus infections and the like. It also has antibacterial and antiviral properties that can help build your immune system."

Ichigo grinned, "Maybe you should be the doctor."

"I wouldn't be a very good one given that I hate hospitals," Toshiro frowned at the suggestion and shuddered at the idea of being inside one of those death-houses, "But I do find traditional healing and alternative medicines to be an interesting subject."

Ichigo frowned and appeared to think things over as he devoured his soup. Toshiro took advantage of the silence and glanced around the bedroom. He'd never been in Ichigo's room before, but he wasn't surprised by the set up; posters, family photos, a set of light weights in the corner…it all screamed Ichigo. Toshiro investigated the photographs on the wall opposite him. He couldn't see them very well from his distance and the darkness of the room, but they all appeared to be happy family photos.

He doubted Ichigo knew, but Toshiro actually played soccer with his younger sister, Karin, and from that he knew the rest of his family pretty well. Ichigo's other sister, Yuzu, and their father, Isshin came to every soccer match, but he'd never seen Ichigo there. He prayed he never would too; Ichigo would have a fucking fit if he knew that his roommate was better friends with his sisters than him. Well 'better' was not the right word; he hung out socially with the girls but he felt closer to Ichigo. Either way, he was going to keep that bit of information private; the last thing he needed was Ichigo asking his sisters about him. Furthermore, Karin Kurosaki also didn't want her brother to know that they were teammates, but she had her own reasons.

"Hey, Toshiro," Ichigo called, pulling Toshiro from his thoughts, "You see this picture here?"

Toshiro nodded; it was a picture of a smiling woman with long orange hair and a small Ichigo cradled in her arms. It was obviously Ichigo's mother. Toshiro knew from Karin that she'd died many years ago.

"She's my mother," Ichigo explained, oblivious to Toshiro's prior knowledge, "She died ten years ago today."

Toshiro could have sworn he heard Ichigo's voice break at the end of that sentence. He hadn't known that today was the anniversary. Perhaps that's why Ichigo was sick? Toshiro rarely got sick himself, but when he did it was usually because he was stressed more than anything else.

"I had run out onto the road to catch my ball…" Ichigo continued, voice strained, "She pushed me out of the way of an oncoming bus. She died saving my life."

"I'm sorry," Toshiro whispered; his heart had grown heavy and he could feel the guilt radiating off Ichigo. He saw no use in telling his orange-haired companion that incident wasn't his fault; he'd probably heard it a million times. There were no words that could ever alter the way he felt.

Ichigo continued to look at the photo, but even with his head turned away, Toshiro could see tears forming in those big brown eyes. Toshiro had never expected to see Ichigo cry – he came across as the strong, tough, non-crying type – but then again, losing a parent at a young age is a pain like no other, _or so he had heard_.

"Tell me a story, Toshiro," Ichigo requested softly, still not looking anywhere but the photograph, "Any story, but make it a happy one."

Toshiro, not being able to deny a suffering friend, quickly racked his memory for a good story. It upset him greatly that he had to seriously dive into his memory to find a happy story to tell Ichigo. He also wanted one that wouldn't prompt further questions, since Ichigo was way too eager to learn everything there was to know about him. There were many aspects of his life that Toshiro was uncomfortable talking about, even with Rangiku, and thus he would not be telling them to Ichigo tonight.

A few minutes later, Toshiro settled on a happy past memory to share. It wasn't too personal, and was rather simple.

"There is a pond at my grandmother's house," Toshiro began as Ichigo turned to look at him, "It's pretty wide actually, but shallow and nothing lives in it. During the colder winters, it freezes over."

Ichigo nodded, urging Toshiro to continue, and taking another sip of his tea.

"When I was younger, my cousin Momo would stay with us during the winter break. Have you met Momo? She studies here too, but she doesn't board."

"No, I haven't met her yet, but Izuru doesn't stop talking about her," Ichigo answered, grinning a little, "I kind of feel like I know her."

"Right," Toshiro frowned, "Well, anyway, she'd stay during winter and when the pond finally froze over, we would skate on it. We got pretty good at it too; learnt the jumps and everything."

He ignored Ichigo's "fucking prodigy" comment and continued.

"We used to play one on one ice hockey," Toshiro smiled fondly at the memory, "Except with an old golf ball and sticks from the backyard."

Ichigo laughed, and Toshiro smiled. He didn't know why but he liked making Ichigo laugh. It was one of those deep, hearty laughs, and it was rather sexy, although Toshiro wasn't about to admit that out loud. More than that, Toshiro was just glad to have put a smile on his face on the saddest day of the year of him. He wasn't used to trying to make anyone other than his grandmother happy, but it felt kind of good.

"Thanks, Toshiro," Ichigo grabbed his hand and squeezed it, "Thanks for telling me that."

Toshiro blushed madly at the affectionate gesture and ducked his head. _What the fuck was happening to him?_

"Quick question-" Ichigo added, and Toshiro's whole body tensed; he prayed Ichigo wouldn't ask him anything too personal. "Do you live with your grandmother?"

Toshiro paused, quickly mulling over his answer. He had been expecting the strawberry to ask about his relationship with Momo, so that query had surprised him a little. On one hand, he was glad not to have to answer any Momo questions, but on the other, his answer to the current question might lead to further inquiries that Toshiro definitely did not want to answer. Ichigo must have noticed his hesitation because the older male had just squeezed his hand again; probably in attempt to promote his trustworthiness. He was certainly the touchy-feely type; another similarity he held with Rangiku.

"I live with her," Toshiro answered cautiously, "Always have. She raised me."

Toshiro held his breath as he waited for Ichigo's next response. The strawberry only nodded, not prying further and Toshiro thanked his lucky stars. He didn't want to lie to his roommate and kinda-sorta-friend, but he probably would have if the guy had prodded him for an explanation; he just wasn't ready to delve that deep with him.

"You better go to sleep now, Kurosaki," He said as he disentangled himself from Ichigo's firm grasp, and walked straight out of the room without a second glance.

…

Toshiro was beginning to doze off when he felt a blanket being thrown over him and someone sitting down at the other end of the couch. Toshiro raised his head sluggishly and blinked until the blurry image of Ichigo came into focus.

"You're feeling better, then?" Toshiro mumbled, pulling himself into a sitting position and playing idly with the tassels on the blanket's edge.

It'd been just over 28 hours since Toshiro had come home the previous night to find Ichigo snoring on the couch. He'd been up most of the night, finding that he couldn't sleep, and that was after his little wander down to the pharmacy. During lunch break and after his final class for the day, Toshiro had returned to the dorm to check on Ichigo and found the strawberry asleep both times. He'd only just returned home from work about a half hour ago, to find, once again, the orange-haired idiot sleeping soundly.

"Yeah," Ichigo answered, reaching across Toshiro for the TV remote, "Thanks for looking after me."

Toshiro scoffed. He did not look after that idiot; he simply helped him to bed and got him some soup. That was it.

Ichigo seemed to read his mind without even looking at him and grinned, "You do care about me!"

"Hardly," Toshiro muttered, doing his best to keep his voice low and dangerous.

"No?" Ichigo questioned, still grinning like the fool he was, "So, you didn't go down to the chemist to buy me medicine late last night?"

Toshiro shrugged nonchalantly, "There was an hour until curfew, it was open late, we were running low on toothpaste…really, there were a lot of factors at play – I didn't go down just for you."

"Uh huh," Ichigo nudged Toshiro's side, "What about all the new cold and flu supplies in the bathroom? We've got pills, capsules and liquid medicines, more chest rub, a thermometer, about three boxes of tissues…"

"Between you and Rangiku, we need those tissues," Toshiro defended, "And I wasn't sure if you were going to be a baby who couldn't swallow a pill, so I got the liquid crap as well. Also, you seem like the type to get sick a lot so I'm stocking up for the future."

Ichigo laughed outrageously at his excuses. They were excuses; Toshiro had gone down specifically to get Ichigo some medicine, and store up in case it happens again. He also knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep or concentrate on his study until he took a walk to clear his head properly.

"You'll get sick before I do again; especially at the rate you're pushing yourself at," Ichigo smirked, "I'll be sure to return the favour when it happens."

Toshiro scoffed again, "I don't get sick, Kurosaki, I haven't been sick since I was about 10."

"When was that? Like last year?"

"It's like you think I won't punch you…"

"I'm still waiting for it…"

"Oh just keep talking, it's coming."

Ichigo prodded him in the side once again, and Toshiro punched him hard in the arm.

"Ow," Ichigo whined, "Dead arm, dead arm!"

Toshiro smirked but said nothing; he had warned him.

Ichigo sat clutching his arm and muttering obscenities under his breath, but Toshiro could tell he wasn't really upset. Toshiro curled his feet under him and laid back down, his head resting on the arm of the couch and watching absently as Ichigo used his 'good arm' to flip through the various television channels. He could feel the lack of sleep from the previous night weighing down on him, and slowly the world around him began to fade to black.

The last thing he was aware of was Ichigo placing a hand on his knee and whispering, "Thank you, Toshiro, for everything."

…

 **Please review and I'll love you forever xx**


	6. College Party

Chapter 6: College Party

Ichigo took a sip of his beer and looked around the spacious backyard that was brimming with a carefree and upbeat atmosphere. Renji had found out that his parents were going to be out of town for the weekend and decided to throw a massive party at their house, which luckily, was located just outside Karakura Town and only a half hour drive or train ride from the university campus. Ichigo had chosen to drive, which meant that he would have to severely limit his drinks, but he didn't mind. Renji had supplied most of the alcohol, of course, and now the party was in full swing.

He was fairly surprised by the large turnout; the whole basketball team, more than half of the male boarders and quite a few of the girls too, plus many more familiar faces from around campus. He chuckled quietly as he watched Renji make a fool of himself in front of Rukia; Ichigo was fairly certain that Renji had only thrown this party to impress the girl he dubbed "even more beautiful than Rangiku".

Rangiku herself was drinking up a storm in the far corner of the backyard. She appeared to be challenging Ikkaku Madarame to a chugging competition and winning it with no contest while Yumichika stood at a distance with a horrified expression.

"Yumichika calls drunken fools 'unbeautiful'," Izuru laughed beside him, having followed Ichigo's line of sight, "And yet, he's dating one."

 _Typical Yumichika and Ikkaku,_ Ichigo laughed, glancing briefly over at Izuru. His girlfriend, Momo, was hugging his waist and leaning against his chest, while Izuru wrapped one arm around her shoulders and used his other hand to drink. They were a cute couple, and Momo – also Toshiro's cousin – was a really sweet girl too. She was a day student at KTU, 19 and in her second year of her teaching degree. They hadn't got to talking about Toshiro yet, mostly because Ichigo didn't want to bring it up around the guys, who of course would carry on about how Ichigo was 'in love' with his white-haired roommate.

Ichigo was not in love with Toshiro.

Did he maybe have an itsy bitsy crush on the little genius? Perhaps…

Okay, so he had a major crush on the boy. How could he not? Toshiro was incredible. He was physical perfection in Ichigo's eyes, but more importantly, he was intelligent and strong, and as Ichigo had learnt, Toshiro was also extremely caring and gentle. He was, in every way, the full package. Ichigo wasn't sure when his mild interest in the 14 year old physics student had turned into full-blown liking, and perhaps there wasn't one individual catalyst, but that each new experience they had together had slowly developed his feelings. It had been close to three months now, since their first night as roommates.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo whipped around at the sound of the familiar voice, and then proceeded to rub his eyes to check if he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing.

"Yuzu? Karin?" Ichigo gaped at his two younger sisters as they stood in front of him, mirroring his surprised expression, "What are you two doing here?"

"This is my boyfriend's house," Yuzu answered nervously, "What are you doing here?"

"Boyfriend?!" Ichigo exclaimed, "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend! Who is he?"

Ichigo was shocked – to say the least – that his little, baby sister, Yuzu, had a boyfriend; kind, innocent, little Yuzu. He expected as much from Karin, who'd taken up the wild child role in the family, but not his sweet, little Yuzu. He was saying 'little' a lot, wasn't he? Well, she was pretty small.

"Oh, um, sorry, Ichigo," Yuzu shuffled awkwardly on her feet, "I wanted to tell you in person, but…you haven't been home in a while, so…"

"Who?" Ichigo questioned again, ignoring Karin as she rolled her eyes and took a sip from a big red cup that he was about 94% sure would contain alcohol, but one problem at a time.

"Jinta Abarai," Yuzu answered immediately, "He's-"

"He's my brother," Renji interjected, walking up to them and dragging along a miniature version of himself by the ear that Ichigo could only assume to be Yuzu's supposed boyfriend.

Jinta Abarai looked roughly fifteen, with the same red hair as his older brother. Unlike Renji, he kept it short and choppy. He was wearing a soccer jersey and baggy three-quarter length pants with red converse shoes. He was glaring furiously up at his older brother, and overall, looked like a cranky young teen.

"He was allowed to stay home alone while our parents were away," Renji explained, tugging harder on the boy's ear and ignoring the curses his brother was spitting, "And thought he'd throw his own party…"

"And then this dickhead turned up with you lot," Jinta added, gesturing to his brother and finally pulling free of Renji's hold on him.

"Don't worry about him with your sister, Ichigo," Renji grinned, "He looks tough but on the inside, he's a frigid little bitch."

Jinta lunged at his brother, before Karin quickly snagged the scruff of his collar and yanked him backwards until he was sitting flat on his ass. Renji was crying with laughter while Yuzu immediately dropped to his side and began fussing.

"What'd I say about picking your fights, Jinta?" Karin smirked, "Your brother is twice your size."

Jinta grumbled and stomped off, pulling Yuzu along with him. Renji had now stumbled off too, probably looking for "The Kuchki Princess". Ichigo was about to go after his little sister and her aggressive boyfriend before Karin grabbed a hold of his wrist.

"She's fine and he's so whipped on her, it's disgusting," Karin made a revolted face, "Honestly, brother, do you think I'd let my twin go off with someone I didn't trust?"

Ichigo sighed. Karin was very protective of Yuzu; there was absolutely no way she'd let someone close to her without being categorically sure that they would not hurt her sister in any way. He agreed to take her word for it for the time being, but he would be looking into it later.

"Fine then," Ichigo grumbled before turning on her, "Problem number two: Is that alcohol, Karin?"

"Nope," Karin answered a little too quickly with a sly grin on her face

Okay, it was definitely alcohol.

"Give it here. You're not twenty yet." Ichigo ordered, holding out his palm for her to hand it over.

"Neither are you," Karin smirked, gesturing to the beer in his hands.

Ichigo took a step towards his rebellious younger sister. She instantly took a step back, the wide grin never leaving her face. They'd done this a few times; Karin had started drinking about a year ago, and Ichigo had found out when he had picked her up from a party. She had stumbled towards him, calling him "Ni-go" because apparently she could see two of him, and then later threw up in the car.

"Karin-" Ichigo warned, taking another step forward.

Karin chuckled and with a sharp twist on her heel, she disappeared into the crowd of much taller college students. Ichigo let out a frustrated groan and held his head in his free hand. His two baby sister's – well, they were fifteen now but still babies to him – at a college party; one with a boy and one with a drink. This was really not what Ichigo wanted to be dealing with tonight.

"Um, Ichigo?" It was Yuzu again, "Are you okay?"

"Tell me you're not drinking too?" Ichigo asked, dragging his hand down his face.

"Of course not," Yuzu smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, "And don't worry about Karin, she's got soccer tomorrow morning so she won't drink too much."

Sighing for what felt like the thousandth time in ten minutes, Ichigo hugged her back. He could always count on Yuzu to be the responsible one out of all of them. She'd taken over the motherly role since theirs had passed away. She cooked, she cleaned and she looked after everyone in the family. Like Karin was protective over her, Yuzu was protective over the whole family and anybody she deemed a friend.

"And Jinta is only having one drink, because he has soccer too," Yuzu continued despite Ichigo's tightening grip, "He's a good guy, Ichigo."

"I believe you," Ichigo mumbled, defeated, "Just take care of your sister, okay?"

"I will," Yuzu promised, pulling out of the hug and looking at something behind him with concerned eyes, "And I'll take care of him too,"

Confused, Ichigo turned in the direction that Yuzu had nodded, and followed her line of sight back to his friends. They were chanting and cheering, as they gathered around a short, white-haired boy chugging a beer at a rapid pace. Ichigo's eyes bulged out of his head.

"Toshiro?"

The boy in question was standing atop a plastic garden chair, one hand holding a beer bottle upside down above his mouth, while his other hand stopped Momo from interfering. The girl was trying to jump up and pull the beer out of his hand, but he had his index finger pressed to her forehead, hindering her from getting close. Ichigo would have found the whole sight highly amusing if he wasn't so taken back by it.

Ichigo gaped; when he had invited Toshiro to come, the prodigy had flat out refused. He knew that the boy hated large social gatherings, and hadn't been surprised by the response he was given. To see Toshiro here was a complete shock to Ichigo, never mind the fact he was guzzling alcohol even though he said he only drinks "sometimes".

"I won't let him drink too much either," Yuzu said softly from behind him.

"You know Toshiro?" Ichigo turned back to face her, surprise obvious on his features.

She nodded, "He plays soccer with Karin and Jinta; the four of us sometimes hang out after the games…didn't he tell you? You're his roommate at college, right?"

Ichigo frowned. Well, that explained why Toshiro was never home on a Saturday; he had thought the boy was working since he was usually gone all day – he hadn't thought to ask. Why hadn't Toshiro told him? He would have known the connection between him and his sisters. Ichigo's heart sank a little; every time he thought he was cracking through Toshiro's defensive shell, another layer got in the way. He was a little jealous too, that his sisters got to hang out with Toshiro more than he did in a social setting.

Toshiro had finished his drink and jumped off the chair, running off while Momo chased after him. Fortunately for Ichigo, Toshiro had run in his direction. Without a second thought, Ichigo stuck an arm out as the prodigy ran by and snaked it around the boy's thin torso, dragging him backwards until Toshiro's spine was pressed firmly against his abdomen. Toshiro craned his neck back and blinked owlishly up at him, obviously confused by the sudden attack on him. He then smirked.

"Kurosaki Senior." He greeted.

Before Ichigo could retort, Momo burst through the crowd and spotted them instantly. She stomped over, her eyes ablaze with fury.

"Toshiro Hitsugaya!" She yelled at him, snatching the empty bottle from his hand, "Does Granny know that you're drinking?! You're thirteen for God's Sake!"

"I'm fourteen," Toshiro pouted – extremely cutely, might Ichigo add – and struggled a little in Ichigo's firm grasp, "And it's Rangiku's fault."

Ichigo chuckled; it probably was Rangiku's fault. She was very _persuasive_ when it came to roping people into doing what she wanted them to do. Toshiro seemed to be immune to her flirting, but Rangiku still had plenty of ways of getting him to do stuff for her too. Momo must have known it too, because she suddenly sighed and grimaced at the thought. The acceptance didn't last long for the chocolate-haired girl who frowned deeply, and pointed a dainty finger at Ichigo's young prisoner, opening her mouth to say – or maybe shout – something else.

"Don't worry, Momo," Ichigo intercepted, trying to calm the still quite angry girl, "I'll look after him tonight."

"Thanks, Ichigo," Momo released a sigh of relief, "He can be difficult sometimes."

"I'm right here," Toshiro muttered bitterly, now trying to detach Ichigo's arm from his torso.

"Don't forget Granny's birthday is coming up, Shiro," Momo smiled, leaning down and patting the soft white locks of her cousin, completely ignoring his previous comment, "We'll have to get her a gift."

"It was last week, Bed-Wetter," He snapped, slapping her hand away from his hair, "I knew you'd forget so I sent her flowers from the both of us, and a bracelet that, if she asks, you picked out."

Momo looked at Ichigo's little captive with a look of shock and horror on her face. Toshiro was glaring at her. Ichigo's eyes darted between the two of them as he felt Toshiro's muscles all tense up in his hold. There was obviously some tension between the two cousins, but since this was the first time he'd seen them together, he wasn't completely sure where it was stemming from. Eventually Momo took a cautious step back, before leaving with her head hung and a quiet 'thank you' to both of them. Toshiro had stopped fighting Ichigo's tight hold and stood silently waiting to be released. Slowly Ichigo removed his arm from Toshiro's thin torso, but slid it down to gently grip his wrist and turn him around so that they were facing each other.

"Are you okay?" Ichigo asked, noting that Toshiro was still tensing his muscles, although he was probably unaware of it.

Toshiro stared at him with no emotion in his eyes, "I'm fine. You don't have to look after me."

Ichigo knew well enough the signs of Toshiro emotionally shutting down and putting his defensive wall up higher than it already was. From what he could see, Toshiro was physically fine – the one beer obviously not affecting him too much – and that was Ichigo's main concern tonight. He would deal with the emotional stuff later, when his roommate was a little more relaxed. The one thing Toshiro seemed to hate more than anything else was people treating him like a kid, so Ichigo only nodded and released his arm.

"I see you know my sisters," Ichigo gestured towards Yuzu, who was still standing beside her brother and watching the interaction between them.

Toshiro nodded, "Karin coerced me into coming tonight."

 _Of course, she did._

"That sounds about right," Ichigo groaned, "She's very forceful."

"That's how she made me join her soccer team," Toshiro nodded with a frown.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, hoping for an explanation.

"I remember that," Yuzu piped up, giggling a little, "She kicked a soccer ball at his head."

"Karin," Ichigo sighed, "It's always Karin…"

…

"Sup, Ni-go."

"Karin, I swear to God-"

"Relax, Ichi," Karin smirked, plopping herself down in the vacant chair beside him, "There is only one of you tonight."

Ichigo sent her a withering glare but was glad to see she had an unopened can of soda in her hand, which obviously didn't contain any alcohol…yet. As if reading his mind, Karin grinned at him as she opened the can with a crack and took a sip of the vodka-free lemonade.

"Come on, Ichigo," Karin giggled, nudging his side, "You know how much I love soccer; I'm not going to risk our most important match of the year by playing hungover."

That was true. Ichigo sometimes thought Karin loved soccer more than she loved their dad. She might have found drinking a new, fun and thrilling experience but she'd never choose it over her beloved sport.

"Important match?"

"We're playing the team we almost lost to in the grand final last year," Karin explained, "They weren't happy that we beat them, and they've held a serious grudge. It will be a tough game tomorrow."

Ichigo was surprised to hear his sister's team had won the competition last year. He hadn't gone to the game, but he might have if he had known it was the grand final. He felt a sting in his chest; he couldn't remember the last game he'd been to…None this year since he'd been at college, but even before that during school he hadn't gone. It had probably been close to two years since he'd seen his sister play. Ichigo sighed, he was failing as a big brother – Yuzu had a boyfriend, Karin was drinking and playing excellent soccer while Ichigo had no idea what was going on. He made a mental note to put more effort in to seeing his sisters more regularly; maybe he could go watch her game tomorrow? Toshiro would be playing too…

`"Where's the game tomorrow?" Ichigo asked, "I'll come watch."

"Really?"

Ichigo's heart hurt at how his sister's face lit up; he should have done this sooner. He nodded.

"It's at the new field opposite my school, 10am," Karin beamed.

"Great," Ichigo smiled at her, throwing his arm loosely over her shoulders and planting a soft kiss on her forehead. He chuckled as she wrinkled her nose in distaste; she'd never been one for affection.

"Make sure Toshiro turns up on time too," Karin ordered him, "I'm not sure what state he'll be in tomorrow but he's our striker and best player. Sober or not, we need him."

Ichigo's eye brows shot up. He wasn't all too surprised that Toshiro was the best soccer player on the team as he seemed to be the best at everything he tried, but was surprised that Karin suspected he might be hungover tomorrow.

"I though Yuzu was limiting his drinks?" Ichigo asked, concern bubbling in his throat.

"She was," Karin answered, taking another sip of her soda, "But he keeps disappearing and she's got her hands full trying to stop Jinta from drinking or attacking Renji…"

"Disappearing?" Ichigo repeated, ignoring the Jinta comment for now, "Where's he going?"

Karin shrugged, "Around. I saw him with his friend Rangiku not long ago…"

Ichigo groaned; he knew Rangiku cared about Toshiro and would protect him, but she'd get him totally wasted first.

"Relax, Ichigo, he was fine when I saw him," Karin chuckled, as if reading his mind, "He's always so strained; let him blow off some steam."

"Why are you devil-kids trying to stress me out?" Ichigo pouted, "Yuzu with her boyfriend, you and Toshiro with your drinking…"

"I'm rebellious and I find drinking fun, but it's harder for Toshiro," Karin stood up as if she was preparing to leave, "He goes to college, everyone around him is older and he doesn't want people to treat him like a kid so he does his best to be an adult."

Ichigo supposed she was right; Toshiro was much more mature than anyone his own age and if it wasn't for his physical appearance, most people would consider him an adult. He certainly had his life more together than Ichigo; balancing a full time college degree, karate club, soccer and a part time job, not to mention dealing with Rangiku's weekly dramas…and despite all that, Toshiro still had time to help out Ichigo when he was sick or didn't fully understand his university work. Actually, now that he thought about it, Ichigo didn't know how Toshiro managed it all; Ichigo knew he probably would have had a mental breakdown if he carried around all those burdens every day.

Yuzu had arrived to collect Karin and say goodbye. It was late now; most of the party go-ers had either passed out or left to get the train back to the university before the midnight weekend curfew. Ichigo himself was going to have to leave soon if he wanted to make it. He walked his sisters outside to where their father was parked on the street. Narrowly missing his father's kick to the head, Ichigo hugged his two sisters 'goodbye' and once again promised to be at Karin's soccer match tomorrow.

Heading back inside to say his own goodbyes, Ichigo kept a vigilant eye out for his young roommate. He patted Renji on the back, thanking him for hosting, and kissed Rukia on the cheek. He'd found them making out in the corner of the yard, and grinned, promising to get the details out of one of them later. Ichigo made his rounds, saying goodbye to a cuddling Izuru and Momo, to Ikkaku and Yumichika – who were arguing like an old married couple – and to Shuuhei and Rangiku, who were looking pretty cosy on porch.

"Ran, you seen Toshiro lately?" Ichigo asked, ignoring the sly grin forming on Shuuhei's face.

"I saw him head around the side of the house with Renji's little brother a few minutes ago," Rangiku supplied, dragging her hand over Shuuhei's thigh subtly.

Ichigo smirked at Shuuhei's strained face and turned to leave them to it. He saw Jinta across the yard arguing with Renji after apparently interrupting him and Rukia, but Toshiro was not with him. Continuing around the corner of the house, Ichigo found his target.

Toshiro was leaning back against the outer-wall of the house, while a tall guy with long dark hair loomed over him. The older male had his hands pressed against the wall either side of the boy's head and his mouth lingering way too close to Toshiro's. At first, Ichigo thought that they too were hooking up and his heart dropped into his stomach, but then he heard them speaking; it was too muffled for him to understand but Toshiro's voice was raised and laced with anger. The other guy's voice sounded rather seductive and sultry. It clicked in Ichigo's head as he watched the tall stranger push his body flush against Toshiro's and latch his mouth onto the boy's slender neck, only to have the young genius firmly shove the guy off him and slip away from the wall; the tall guy was hitting on him and Toshiro wasn't having a bar of it.

"Toshiro!" Ichigo called loudly, alerting the two of them to his presence.

Teal eyes found his and the boy stumbled over to him, clearly quite tipsy. The tall brunette was calling after him, but Toshiro appeared to ignore him as he came to stand in front of Ichigo. Ichigo took in his appearance; he was dressed rather casually, in tight jeans and a plain white tee, but Ichigo thought he looked hot. He had noticed recently just how well those jeans fit him, perfectly sculpting his ass and upper thighs...Ichigo's eyes found Toshiro's face and noted that despite his alcohol-clouded eyes, the boy looked the same as always – his hair still a neat mess, his skin still a creamy pale and his lips still pink and plump.

"I'm heading back to the dorm," Ichigo swallowed, forcing himself to relocate his stare back to Toshiro's eyes, "Do you want a lift?"

Without a glance back at the guy who had been coming onto him, Toshiro nodded. Ichigo put a hand on his shoulder, ignoring the small flinch from its owner, and turned to lead his roommate out of the backyard and towards his car.

"Come back here, Slut!" The furious brunette called, and Ichigo swung around, fully prepared to punch the fucker's lights out, before a small hand fisted his shirt and tugged him along.

The car ride home was silent for the most part. Rangiku had called Toshiro to find out if he was okay and Ichigo was pleasantly surprised to find that Toshiro wasn't completely drunk as he kept his words un-slurred and made fully articulate sentences. He had taken to playing with the various buttons within his reach, though, but Ichigo didn't mind. It was kind of amusing, actually. So far they'd listened to six different radio stations and Toshiro had silently inspected the items he found in Ichigo's glove box, which had mostly included registration and insurance papers, the car manual and a bit of emergency cash for petrol.

"Who was the guy that you were, uh, _talking to_ before we left?" Ichigo asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"Kusaka," Toshiro answered, pressing the button on his side and watching as the car window descended with a soft whirring sound, "He does karate. We were friends."

"He didn't look like your friend," Ichigo frowned, recalling how the larger man had Toshiro backed against the wall and began forcing himself on the boy, not to mention that last comment he'd made.

"We _were_ friends," Toshiro repeated with bitterness in his voice, "He's an asshole now."

"Oh," Ichigo responded dumbly, not sure what else to say.

Toshiro pulled up on the button and watched absently as the window climbed back up the door frame slowly.

"Are you mad I didn't tell you that I know your sisters?" Toshiro asked him out of the blue, taking his focus off the window to play with the seat adjuster.

Ichigo shrugged, trying to play it off nonchalantly, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"A few reasons," Toshiro answered as his car seat slowly reclined at his control, "But you should know that Karin didn't want you to know either."

"What?" Ichigo frowned, "Why not?"

"She's upset that you never come to watch her play soccer anymore," Toshiro answered, laying down in his now fully reclined seat and folding his arms under his head for support, "She said that if you knew I played for her soccer team, you'd come watch a game, but you'd be coming for me and not for her…I think she's a little bitter that you haven't made the effort for her in a while."

Ichigo sighed sadly; he didn't realise how much his sister had been affected by his neglect. It was his own fault for making her feel like this and act out; he hadn't been home in ages, despite living under twenty minutes away and having his own car, and he hadn't called that often either.

"Well, I'm coming to the game tomorrow," Ichigo said softly, "Maybe I'll take the girls out for lunch afterwards…"

"I think they'd like that," Toshiro mumbled, rolling over in his seat – hindered somewhat by the seat belt, and beginning to doze off.

Ichigo couldn't help but smile.


	7. Saturn at Opposition

**Chapter 7 alreadyyyy? Time is flyyin' by.**

Chapter 7: Saturn at Opposition

Toshiro sat at the kitchen table, one hand clutching his morning mug of green tea and the other hovering an inch from his face, only just managing to hold on to a piece of toast. He was debating on whether eating it would make him feel any better or not. Food was the absolute last thing he felt like, but he knew that he needed something in his stomach if he was going to play ninety minutes of soccer under the summer sun.

He had drunk more last night than he had intended to and was feeling it this morning. Still not the worst hangover he'd ever experienced though, since he hadn't felt the need to vomit yet. Toshiro was annoyed at himself for drinking as much as he did, not that he really embarrassed himself or did anything stupid, but because he'd let Momo get to him. The second Momo had spotted him with a beer, she'd freaked out and demanded he put it down, and as a result he decided to chug it right in front of her in order to make her angry.

Sometimes he would do stuff like that, to make her mad or annoyed, or even to hurt her a little bit…but mostly he just wanted her to notice him. Toshiro hated that he did it, but he just couldn't stop himself once he had started. Things between him and his cousin had been a little tense for a few years now. Momo had moved in with him and their granny during her last year of high school as her parents had relocated to the USA for work and she opted to stay behind to complete her education in Japan.

The two of them had always been close, so obviously he'd been ecstatic to hear that she'd be coming to live with them. At first it was great, they'd hung out just like they used to…but then the age gap began to show, especially at school. Since Toshiro had skipped quite a few grades, he had ended up in the same graduating class as Momo, but she was 17 and he was 12. Toshiro hadn't kept many friends at school and spent most of his time avoiding his classmates outside of the classroom, especially the guy who made his school day a living hell; Sosuke Aizen. Unfortunately it was the same fucker that Momo ended up "falling in love with".

Momo became obsessed with him, following him around like a love sick puppy and doing anything and everything he asked. It disgusted Toshiro. He had tried to tell his cousin that Aizen was a bad guy, that he was just using her to make him jealous, but that had not gone over well. As the year went by, Momo spent more time with her friends and boyfriend, and Toshiro was left alone. Even at home, she'd be on her phone or laptop all night talking to them, never leaving her bedroom. She didn't want to hang out with Toshiro anymore. The worst part was that she didn't even notice; she wasn't ignoring him to hurt him or anything, she simply just grew up and moved on. It fucking stung.

These days – now that Aizen had dumped her for another girl – she'd moved to Karakura to attend college. She lived in a small apartment with her friends, the Kotetsu sisters, and was dating the much nicer Izuru Kira. Her relationship with Toshiro, however, had not improved. She was still busy with her new friends and boyfriend, she still lived off her phone, and she still forgot things like Granny's birthday. Toshiro doubted she even called their grandmother regularly like he did. Momo was just too busy. He did things like drinking in front of her just to gain her attention, to silently say the things he wanted to say, like "I miss you."

"Glare any harder at that toast and it might just burst into flames."

Toshiro jerked up in surprise, dropping his toast back onto the plate. He hadn't heard Ichigo exit his bedroom.

"Feeling okay there, Tosh?" Ichigo asked, his amusement morphing into concern.

"Fine," Toshiro muttered, picking his toast back up and taking a hesitant bite, "And it's 'Hitsugaya'…"

Ichigo shrugged and continued on his way to the bathroom for his morning shower. Toshiro slowly finished his toast and shakily rose to his feet before placing his dirty dishes in the sink and returning to his bedroom. He planned to take a quick twenty minute nap before getting back up for soccer. He recalled Ichigo last night telling him to sleep in and take his time in the morning since he could drive them both down to the field, as Ichigo would be coming to watch his sister play. Toshiro was suddenly very grateful that the strawberry had chosen this weekend to watch their game, allowing him more time to recover from his moderate hangover.

Exiting his room half an hour later, Toshiro met Ichigo by the door dressed in his soccer uniform. He was kind of glad now that Ichigo knew he played soccer with his sister, if only for the fact he could leave the dorm wearing his uniform. Ichigo hadn't even got mad that Toshiro hadn't told him the truth – although Toshiro strongly suspected he was. Toshiro did feel bad about keeping it from him, he hadn't meant to hurt his roommate, in fact he'd been trying to stop him from getting hurt, but he knew he had gone the wrong way about it. Maybe he could make it up to him later; calling him by his first name perhaps? That always put a stupid smile on his face. Well, it had the one time he'd used it so it was likely to have the same reaction again.

"You ready?" Toshiro asked, becoming acutely aware that his roommate was staring at him silently.

The strawberry himself was wearing tight purple jeans and an even tighter – if that was possible – black tee and skater shoes to match. Being gay, Toshiro had to admire his roommate's physic; Ichigo was relatively lean (not as lean as himself, but lean nonetheless), but his muscles were toned and clearly defined. It was kind of…sexy, actually. Toshiro's heart skipped a beat; did he just consider his roommate sexy? His idiotic, happy-go-lucky, orange-haired, too-caring-for-his-own-good roommate? He shuddered at the thought.

"You look good in red," Ichigo answered eventually, "Come on, let's get going."

Ichigo pulled open the door and marched out into the hallway. Toshiro wasn't completely sure but for a second there, he thought he saw a flicker of lust in his roommate's eyes. He might have been wrong, of course, but he swore he saw a certain darkness in those chocolate eyes, coupled with an expression of longing. He often wondered if Ichigo was gay; he was about 80% sure that he was – if the tightness of his clothes were anything to go by – and Rangiku seemed to agree, given that she had pushed her breasts up against him that many times and each time the orange-haired male appeared not to pay it much attention…Although Rangiku could be pretty full of herself when it came to her looks and, in particular, those deadly weapons she had the nerve to call 'boobs'.

Ichigo and Toshiro arrived at the field about 10 minutes later, and Ichigo was immediately accosted by his two sisters. Karin had actually gone for Toshiro first, but he'd blocked her hug attack as he did every week, side stepped, and made his way over to the much less affectionate Jinta.

"What's so good about Ichigo anyway?" Jinta grumbled as he sat on the grass putting on his shin guards, "Yuzu is obsessed with him – they both are."

"Jealous, Abarai?" Toshiro smirked, dropping down beside him.

"No!" Jinta spluttered, "I just don't get what the big deal is about him; I hate my brother."

Toshiro shrugged, "I wouldn't know; I don't have a brother."

"You can have Renji if you want."

"I'll pass."

…

Heart hammering in his chest and blood pounding in his ears, Toshiro glanced up at the scoreboard while Jinta collected the ball for a throw in.

1 – 1, with two minutes to spare.

It had been a gruelling 88 minutes. The opposition were tough and many of them had improved since the grand final last year. They also had a couple of new players; one large boy in particular who played defence. He was probably almost twice Toshiro's size, but his stature didn't slow him down any. Since Toshiro played striker, the giant had practically been glued to his side since the opening whistle. Karin played forward and wasn't much better off; the other team had obviously improved their marking skills. Jinta struggled to hold the defensive line too, as the opposition had a number of fast forward and mid field players. They had a goal scored against them in the first few minutes. Toshiro had scored next, just before half time, leaving the score at one all ever since.

Jinta paused as he brought the ball up to the side line. His eyes found Toshiro's who quickly found Karin's. They had less than two minutes. Between the three of them, they could finish this. Their teammates knew it too, as they ran around, calling for the ball and trying to throw off their markers. Jinta smirked and ran up to the line, pulling his arms up behind his head and launching the ball right to Toshiro. As suspected, Toshiro's large marker nudged him out of the way and caught the ball on his chest before dropping it to his feet. Toshiro took his chance and slid though the gap, kicking the ball back towards his own goal where Jinta had now sprinted to, completely unmarked.

As Jinta received the ball, most of the opposition team ran towards him in order to take advantage of the fact that the ball was now back in the half they needed it to be in. Just before they got close enough to stop him, Jinta belted the ball back down field to Karin, who was left unmarked when the other team had run for Jinta. She remained on side as she travelled down the field with the ball, waiting for the large defensive player to make his mistake. And then he did; the bulky 15 year old left Toshiro's side and ran for her as the rest of his team scrambled to catch up from the other end of the field. With the large kid only a few bounds away from her Karin, jumped over the ball and kicked it back with her heel, straight to Toshiro who had swung around behind her. Toshiro ran with the ball, continuing out wide away from the large player who was still in front of him. The guy was big and speedy but his adrenalin was running thin and his breathing more ragged; he couldn't keep up with their agility anymore.

They were only a few meters from the goal posts when Toshiro narrowly missed the giant's tackle and passed off to Karin, who pulled back her right leg and kicked the ball harder than he'd ever seen her kick before. The ball shot right into the back of the net, the opposition's goal keeper missing it by a hair's width. Three whistles signalled full time as the scoreboard flipped over to 2 – 1. Toshiro's team had won.

He felt a sudden weight on his back as Karin jumped on him in celebration. Not at all ready for it, Toshiro collapsed face first onto the ground as she cheered on top of him.

"Shit, Kurosaki," He gasped into the grass, completely winded, "Get off!"

He heard her chuckle before she eventually rolled off him. Still trying to breathe, Toshiro slowly turned over and sat up. The team was running around the field, celebrating loudly. Jinta had gone straight for Yuzu and the two of them were embracing just off the sideline. Karin had now jumped up too, running straight for Ichigo as he jogged towards them. Pulling himself up, Toshiro brushed off the dirt of his uniform and watched with a melancholy half-smile as Karin and Ichigo were joined by their father and then Yuzu and Jinta. Jinta was included in their group-family hug, and Toshiro was left wishing – not for the first time in his life – that he had a big loving family too. He had Granny though, and he wouldn't trade her for anything.

"Toshiro!" Ichigo called after he'd broken out of the family hold, "You guys were amazing!"

Toshiro shrugged, "Team work, I guess."

"Yeah," Ichigo beamed, "Hey, I'm taking my sisters out for lunch and a movie, do you want to come? Yuzu is bringing Jinta; I might need you around to stop me in case I try to deck him…"

"I can't, I'm busy this afternoon," Toshiro replied truthfully, "Karin, I'm sure, will keep the both of you in line."

"Oh," Ichigo's smile dropped a little, "Okay, well I'll see you later then."

Damn that kicked puppy look.

"Ichigo" Toshiro called after him before he could get too far away.

The first name trick seemed to work, as the tall strawberry turned back around with a striking smile on his dopey face.

"Um, thank you…for the offer, I mean," Toshiro cringed at how pathetic he felt right now, "Maybe another time?"

Ichigo's face lit up. Toshiro had to consciously halt his own smile from forming. He was rather uncomfortable with the fact that he felt the incessant need to keep his roommate happy, lest he wanted to walk around under a cloud of guilt for the rest of the day.

"Yeah, definitely!" Ichigo exclaimed cheerfully, "I look forward to it."

Toshiro nodded and quickly turned away, walking straight off the field. He really was busy this afternoon. He had to go buy a new book in order to finish his latest college assignment and he had to go across town to the national geographic store to pick up a new tripod stand for his telescope, since he had accidently left his at Granny's before university started back up. Saturn was at opposition tonight, which was one of his favourite yearly celestial events. Being a budding astrophysicist, he could hardly miss it.

Speaking of Granny, he needed to ring her. He called her every weekend to check in. They were only two weeks shy of the summer break, which meant that although he'd be seeing her soon, he'd been away for over three months and he missed her terribly. He missed her soft voice, and wrinkled hands. He missed her old-people smell and her cooking. He just missed her, all of her.

Whipping out his phone, he quickly called his grandmother's home.

" _Hello?"_

"Granny, it's me," Toshiro smiled at the sound of her voice, "How are you today?"

" _Oh Toshiro, my boy, I am well,"_ His grandmother replied, _"Did you win your soccer game?"_

"Yes, 2 – 1, it was a very tough game."

" _Wonderful, dear, I've always said that you were-"_

Toshiro heard harsh coughing on the other end, and his blood stopped cold.

"Granny?"

" _I'm fine, Toshiro,"_ Granny continued to cough, although not as full on as a second ago, _"Just a cold."_

"Don't lie to me, Granny," Toshiro whispered, "Your sickness; it's back, isn't it?"

" _Of course not, dear,"_ Granny continued, but he could always tell when she was putting on a brave voice for him, _"It's just a mild cough, nothing for you to worry about."_

"Granny, I-"

" _No, Toshiro,"_ His grandmother spoke firmly, _"You have two weeks left, and then you can come home. I am fine."_

She knew what he was about to suggest; she always did. He wanted to be with her and make sure she was, in fact, 'fine'. He loved college, but he hated being away from her, especially if her old sickness had returned. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago, but since he'd finished high school, she had been in remission. All of the doctors tests had come back saying that there was no evidence of the disease in her body, but the oncologist had been very specific in saying that she was not fully 'cured' – there could be hidden cancer cells still in her body, and if they come back, it will most likely be within 5 years of the original diagnosis. It had been three years.

"Do you promise?"

" _I promise, Toshiro,"_ She said softly.

Toshiro took a deep breath. He'd never known Granny to lie to him, but he wouldn't have put it past her if she felt like he needed to hear it. Either way, he knew she would stick to her story; he got his stubbornness from her after all. He silently compromised with himself to let it go today, but he'd call midweek to check up on her.

" _Now, little one,"_ His grandmother moved on when he did not reply, _"Tell me about your week, and how is Momo going?"_

…

"Rangiku said you'd be up here."

Toshiro looked up from his notebook as Ichigo's voice rang out from behind him. He'd been sitting on the roof of the boarding house for well over 2 hours now, switching between gazing through his telescope and writing his notes. He had also sketched a picture of Saturn in his time up here.

"She also said to bring you this," Ichigo continued, handing him the blanket that usually hung over the back of the couch or draped over the end of his bed. His grandmother had knitted it for him many years ago.

"Thanks," Toshiro muttered, gratefully taking the blanket.

He lifted his notebook up to slip the blanket over his legs before setting it back down in his lap. Toshiro began to continue his work when he noticed Ichigo taking a seat next to him, and draping his own blanket over himself.

"I also brought you coffee," Ichigo said softly before handing Toshiro a travel mug, "Apparently you're going to be up here for a while…"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow as he took the mug from Ichigo. Opening the lid, Toshiro's sense of smell was overwhelmed with the delicious scent of strong coffee. He took a hesitant sip, and almost moaned at the exquisite taste; black, one sugar, the way he liked it. Damn, Ichigo was fucking spectacular at making his favourite hot beverages. If the orange-haired idiot's career as a doctor falls through, he'd still have a bright future as a barista.

"What are we looking at, Toshiro?" Ichigo asked, gesturing to the telescope.

Not missing the 'we' in that question, Toshiro wondered if Ichigo was planning to stay up here all night with him. Part of him wanted the strawberry's rather unique company, but he also knew that he'd never get any work done with that bloody chatterbox beside him.

"Saturn," Toshiro answered coolly, "It's at opposition tonight."

"Okay, cool," Ichigo clapped his hands together, "And, uh, what does that mean?"

Toshiro hid his small smile at Ichigo's enthusiasm and leaned forward to look into his telescope. Saturn sat on a bed of ebony velvet in all her glory. The rings, and most obvious indicator that the planet he was looking at was, indeed, Saturn, circled the large planet almost…protectively. Saturn had always been his favourite planet; at a glance, it was different and so was he.

"It means that Saturn and Earth are in a direct line on the same side of the sun," Toshiro explained, "It's the time when they are the closest together."

Ichigo nodded a few times slowly, before frowning and shaking his head.

"Take a look," Toshiro suggested, tapping his pen to the side of the telescope.

Delighted, Ichigo hovered over the eye piece before settling down to look through it. Toshiro smirked as the strawberry's jaw dropped in fascination before turning up in the corners. The prodigy himself took to drawing a very simplified diagram of the solar system; the sun sitting rightfully in the centre.

"This is Saturn?" Ichigo exclaimed, "It's beautiful…Is it always so bright?"

"No, that's the Seeliger Effect," Toshiro answered, continuing with his sketch, "Saturn is being fully illuminated by the sun, and any shadows are being cast directly behind it, thus the brighter, clearer view we get."

Ichigo pulled back from the telescope, "Illuminated by the sun?"

Toshiro held up his diagram, pointing at Sun, "All planets orbit the sun. Earth is third from the sun, and considered an 'inner planet'. Saturn is sixth from the sun and is an 'outer planet'. When Saturn is at opposition, she lines up with Earth on the same side of the sun."

As he explained the celestial event, Toshiro used his finger to indicate to each planet – or star – as he talked about it. In a single straight line, from left to right, went the Sun, then Earth and finally Saturn.

"Earth is in between the Sun and Saturn, and therefore, from our perspective, the Sun behind us illuminates Saturn in front of us, giving it the brighter appearance and making it easier for us to see."

Ichigo grinned as he understood. The future doctor was definitely a visual learner, as Toshiro had discovered when he'd first started helping Ichigo with his college work.

"You really love Space, don't you?" Ichigo asked somewhat rhetorically, as he took the notebook from Toshiro's hands and flipped through the various drawings, notes and diagrams, "Is this even for class?"

"No," Toshiro shrugged, "We had to observe Jupiter at opposition for an assignment last year, but I would have done it anyway; I just find it fascinating, I guess."

"How often do you come up here?" Ichigo asked, gazing up at him in awe. Sometimes he looked at Toshiro that way, but the prodigy had no idea why.

"Whenever there is a celestial event that I can see through my telescope," Toshiro answered, "I used to spend most nights on the roof at my grandmother's house. Where she lives, the stars are much clearer."

Ichigo smiled. Not just a little, mildly happy smile, but a full blown, genuinely ecstatic grin. Toshiro could feel goosebumps tingling on his arm and he was sure that if he'd been standing up his knees would have gone weak. Ichigo's smile wasn't just the turning up of his lips, but it was the little dimple hidden in his cheek that appeared and the light in his eyes, not to mention the visible rows of perfect pearly white teeth. Toshiro stared; never had a smile taken such an effect on him. Part of him loved the feeling it gave him, but part of him was scared shitless; he shouldn't be so easily undone by something as simple as a smile, especially not the one of his stupid strawberry roommate.

A smile was not the only thing that Toshiro became suddenly aware of; he could feel the warmth radiating of Ichigo. He hadn't noticed before, but the outside of their thighs were touching as they sat next to each other, covered only by the thin blankets over their legs. So close that Toshiro would only have to lean a few degrees over to rest his head on the orange-haired teen's arm, and close enough for Toshiro to see the goosebumps on Ichigo's skin and the little hairs on his arm sticking up. At least he wasn't the only one; maybe it was colder up here than he realised.

"You're cold," Toshiro stated, gesturing to Ichigo's arm.

"So are you," Ichigo smirked, his long fingers skimming gently over Toshiro's own goosebumps-ridden arm.

Toshiro didn't reply; he was too busy trying to focus on anything other than the fiery trail left in the wake of those skilful digits, or the jolt that had passed through his body on their initial contact with his skin, similar to that of an electric shock. It felt like his heart had literally just stopped for a second, and was now beating at overtime in order to catch up. He sure didn't feel cold.

"Come on, it's late," Ichigo mumbled, his face popping into Toshiro's personal space and causing the prodigy to lean back away from it, "Let's go inside."

Toshiro could only nod.

…

 **PLEASE REVIEWWWWW**

 **Fun story: I actually went to my best friend's soccer game today for the first time in like 3 years, and the whole time I was just thinking about the coinky dink that this is what this chapter is about…**


	8. Happy Birthday

**HEY GUYS.**

 **So this week, I was like 'hey, I'm in the mood to read one of these hitsuruki fics that I keep seeing'…biggest mistake. I'm now in love with that pairing. I know it's probably not the best thing to say to a bunch of Ichihitsu fans, but seriously, go read 'Undertones' by Whispered Silvers and then come back to me. Fucking gold is what it is.**

 **Ichihitsu still no.1 in my eyes, don't you worry xx**

…

Chapter 8: Happy Birthday

 _July 15._

July 15 was good for two reasons; Number 1, it was Ichigo's nineteenth birthday, and number 2, it was the last day of school! Summer break started tomorrow and, although Ichigo still loved college, he was extremely keen for a holiday. He didn't have any major plans; he was going to go back home, see his sisters, help out his father at the clinic and catch up with his old high school friends – Orihime, Tatsuki, etc. Since Renji also lived pretty close by, they'd both agreed to hang out over the break and maybe go to a basketball game or something. But before he could go on break, he needed to get through the day first.

Ichigo had just returned to the dorm after breakfast. Renji and Shuuhei had started singing ' _Happy Birthday'_ to him in the loudest, most out of tune way possible, and given the high spirits of the other students on the last day of school, almost everyone in the dining hall had joined in on the ludicrous singing. It had been rather embarrassing actually, but Ichigo was still touched nevertheless, especially when Izuru and Chad had brought out a breakfast muffin with a large '19' candle sitting on top. On his way out of the hall, people he didn't even know were patting him on the back and wishing him a good day and holidays, while most commented that now he was only 12 months away from being able to go clubbing.

Still chuckling about it, Ichigo stuck his keys into the lock of his dorm room and entered. He was immediately suffocated by two giant breasts and two long arms squeezing around his neck like a python. _Rangiku, who else?_

He could barely hear Rangiku's happy squeals above him from his position wedged between the mounds of her chest. His arms flailed about but she did not let go. In the end, he just gave up, slumping limply against her and waiting for his impending death on his nineteenth birthday. If he had been straight, this probably would have been a good way to go. Shuuhei seemed to think it was.

Ichigo heard another muffled voice off his right side. It was much deeper and even though he was starting to feel rather light-headed from the lack of oxygen, he knew that voice anywhere.

 _Toshiro._

Rangiku released him with a whine, and Ichigo dropped straight onto his knees, putting his arms out last minute to avoid face planting the cold floorboards. He struggled to regain his breath as he lay down gently and rolled on to his back.

"Fuck, Rangiku," He wheezed, "They're…deadly…"

Rangiku's bright face loomed above his, her smile wide and mischievous.

"Happy birthday, Ichigo!" She cooed, poking him in the cheek, "Get off the floor, Silly."

Ichigo, having regained enough breath to stop the world from spinning around him, sat up with a loud groan. Grumbling mild obscenities, he accepted Rangiku's outstretched hand and pulled himself to his feet.

His eyes found Toshiro, who was leaning back against the kitchen sink, tea in hand and sipping it nonchalantly, like this was just a normal morning in his book. The white-haired genius was probably just glad to not be the victim of Rangiku's unyielding 'hugs', as she called them, this time round. He looked as gorgeous as ever, Ichigo withheld a blush as he looked over his roommate subtly; he was wearing jeans (tight as always) and a simple band tee, no longer requiring one of his baggy sweaters or loose cardigans in this summer heat. Ichigo didn't mind either way; the oversized hoodies making him look adorable and cuddly, but the t-shirts showing of his lean but muscular arms and his beautifully slender frame.

"Ichigo," Rangiku called, "Yoo-hoo, oh Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned to face her, preparing to snap an irritated 'what?!' in her direction, but when he faced her he had expected her to be much further away, instead her face was mere inches from his. Ichigo jerked back in surprise, while she erupted in a fit of evil witch-like cackles. She smirked at him, her eyes almost glowing with mischief. She nodded in Toshiro's direction – the boy now turned away from them, rinsing his tea cup in the sink – and winking provocatively. Ichigo's jaw dropped at the suggestion she was making; if Rangiku knew he liked Toshiro, it would be game over; the whole school would know before lunch.

Ichigo glared at her, and tried to shake his head in silent denial, but she continued to tease him, making kissy faces and mouthing the words 'you love him'.

"Rangiku," Toshiro called, turning back around to meet a startled Ichigo and a way-too-innocent Rangiku, "I have to get going, move this along."

Rangiku's face morphed into one of absolute joy and Ichigo, now completely on edge in her presence, watched her reach into her bag with a sense of dread pooling his stomach. She pulled out a wrapped gift and a card, and handed it to him.

"Happy birthday, Ichigo," She repeated, genuinely cheerful, and handed him the gift.

Ichigo reached out and took the gift from her hands, still not altogether convinced it wasn't something embarrassing hidden underneath the thin wrapping paper; the wrapping paper which was light blue in colour and covered in small cartoon strawberries, each with arms and legs and giant smiles. Opening the card first, he found that it was actually a photo of him, Rangiku and Toshiro printed on thin cardboard, and folded over to make a card. Ichigo remembered that photo – She'd been in their dorm all afternoon after she'd come back from breaking up with Gin Ichimaru. Once they'd cheered her up, she had insisted on taking a ' _selfie_ ' with the three of them to mark the 'strengthening of their friendship' or some shit. Rangiku sat in the middle of them on the couch, smiling widely, while Ichigo and Toshiro sat beside her with matching, completely unimpressed expressions.

Chuckling softly, Ichigo opened the card. He was greeted with the curvy scroll of Rangiku, wishing him a happy birthday and best wishes, but Ichigo's eyes had skipped straight to the bottom, where the card was signed off, "Love Rangiku and Toshiro, xoxo", except that 'Toshiro' had been crossed off and re-written underneath as 'Hitsugaya' in Toshiro's perfect hand-writing.

"Toshiro, this is from you too?" Ichigo asked, glancing over at the frowning prodigy.

"Well, I had to monitor the stuff Rangiku was going to give you," Toshiro answered, Ichigo not missing the light blush adorning his soft cheeks, "Trust me it was much more inappropriate before I got to it…I also ended up paying for it, so I felt that my name should at least go on the card."

Ichigo laughed softly, glancing at a rather sheepish looking Rangiku. He was suddenly very curious to know what was in under the gift wrap. He placed the card on the table, knowing he'd be keeping a hold of that for a long time, and slowly began to un-wrap his gift. Sliding his finger under the tape, and cautiously pulling off the paper, Ichigo soon held the present in his hands, or presents since there were a few.

A band tee, of a band almost nobody knew of but was one of his absolute favourites. He had tried looking online for one of their t-shirts but had never been successful.

A new pair of decent earphones; the rubber had come off most of his old pair and a few of the exposed wires had snapped. When he wanted to listen to music, he had to hold the cord at a special angle and keep it there, which was very annoying and tiring. With this gift, he could now listen to music as the gym again.

A box of his favourite chocolate, which incidentally and rather embarrassingly had strawberry filling, as well as crunchy honeycomb flakes.

A packet of pens, with a yellow post it note stuck on the front. The note was written in Toshiro's slanted script and read "stay out of my room, pen thief." Ichigo smirked, he was going into the boy's room at least once a week nowadays looking for pens, ironic since that was the excuse he used when he'd been snooping but now he actually needed them.

And last but not least, the latest volume of his new favourite manga and a magazine with a semi-naked man on the front, _Wait, what?!_

Rangiku burst into a round of giggles upon seeing the colour draining from his face. Toshiro had come over to see what was cracking his best friend up and upon seeing the magazine, Toshiro's face had done the opposite of Ichigo's, going beet red.

"Rangiku!" He snapped, "I told you not to put that one in there!"

"Aww, but Toshiro," She whined, throwing an arm around his shoulders, "You wouldn't let me put any of that other stuff in there. I just had to sneak this one in."

"What other stuff?" Ichigo asked incredulously, but seeing the horrifyingly naughty expression on Rangiku's face and the shiver that racked Toshiro's body at the mere thought, he decided he'd rather not know, "Actually don't tell me, please."

Toshiro pried himself out of Rangiku's grasp and moved around the opposite side of the table, throwing his school bag over his shoulder on the way.

"I've gotta go," He said, glaring at Rangiku and marching towards the door.

"Wait, Toshiro," Ichigo called, stopping the boy before he could get to the door. Toshiro turned around to face him slowly, "Thanks for the gifts, I love them. Well, not the magazine, but the rest. Thanks."

Toshiro nodded curtly, "Happy birthday, Kurosaki."

And with that, the 14 year old was gone; disappearing out the door in a flash. Ichigo smiled fondly at the now empty space; Toshiro had actually gotten him a birthday present and wished him a happy birthday. He hadn't even been sure if the boy had known his birthday was coming up, let alone expected to get a gift. Sure, Rangiku had probably pushed him into it, but Ichigo was prepared to overlook that because he had just got a gift from his crush and subsequently, was on cloud nine. He was over the moon, to be honest.

Turning back around, Ichigo came face to face with Rangiku. He had almost forgotten she was still there, and leapt back in shock, hand over his heart.

"So, Ichigo…" She sauntered over to him, with a Cheshire cat grin on her face, "You like Toshiro, then?"

Ichigo stepped one foot back for every step she took forward, but soon found himself pinned against the front door, with her face right up in front of him. He tried to splutter out some sort of denial but the words died in his throat. Rangiku was a lot of things, and intimidating was one of them. In the end, he could only nod the truth.

Rangiku squealed louder than ever, and Ichigo almost had to cover his ears. She threw her arms around him and pulled him into a proper, non-suffocating hug.

"I knew it, I knew it!" She jumped up and down with him, "This is amazing!"

"Rangiku," Ichigo warned, pulling out from her grasp, "You can't tell anyone…Especially Toshiro, okay?"

"I won't, I promise," Rangiku exclaimed, now holding onto his hands and still jumping on the spot.

"You sure?" Ichigo tested, "You're the school gossip, Ran."

Rangiku smacked his arm playfully, "This is different. I want you and Tosh to get together just as much as you do, and I know how long it takes to get him to come around, so I won't do anything to wreck it, don't worry. I'll even help you."

"You'd do that?" Ichigo asked, a little shocked at the genuine geniality she was showing him.

Rangiku nodded, "I just want him to be happy."

Ichigo took in her words. She just wanted Toshiro to be happy. Rangiku was crazy, and mischievous, often described as lazy but there was one person she'd do absolutely anything for, and that person just happened to be Ichigo's crush.

"Okay," Ichigo agreed, "And you think this could work? I mean, he could really like me one day?"

"Well, he is gay, if that's what you're worried about," Rangiku said, tapping her chin lightly, "He says it's my fault for turning him against boobs, but he was gay long before I came along…"

"No, I mean, Toshiro is a tough nut to crack at times," Ichigo corrected, although incredibly relieved to know Toshiro was at least on his team, "How is ever going to accept that I like him, and moreover, like me back?"

"Ichigo," Rangiku said seriously, "He already does like you."

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed.

"He doesn't know it yet, but he really does like you, Ichigo," She said with a half-shrug, "It's hard for him to open up to anyone, but there are currently three people in the world that he will open up too, and you and me are two of them."

"And Momo?" Ichigo guessed, still not sure that he made the top three in Toshiro's book.

"No, he hasn't opened up to her in a while now," Rangiku sighed, "Granny's the third."

"And what about my sisters? Or Renji's brother?" Ichigo questioned, "They seem to know quite a bit about him."

Rangiku snorted a laugh, "If they know anything, it's because they forced it out of him…the point is, he opens up to you more than he does most other people."

Ichigo ran a hand through his hair in shock. He couldn't believe that Toshiro trusted him enough to open up to him over almost everyone else. Sure, he wasn't as exposed or vulnerable as he would probably get around Rangiku in their alone time, but still...he was third from the top and had only know him for four months. Ichigo let himself smile; he hadn't realised how much ground he had made with the boy since the first night in the dorm but now that he thought about it, he'd come quite far.

"Ichigo," Rangiku grabbed his chin and forced him to look into her steely blue eyes, "If you want this to work, you have to be prepared to take the time to build his trust."

Ichigo nodded. Taking advice from Rangiku wasn't something he thought he was ever going to do, but she did know the prodigy better than anyone at the university.

"Just keep doing what you're doing; he's coming around, trust me," She continued, "But be careful, it only takes one stupid mistake to ruin all your progress. Toshiro doesn't trust easy, and he'll pull away the second things start to look bad."

"Thanks, Rangiku." Ichigo uttered, considering pulling out a book and one of his new pens to take notes.

Rangiku gathered her own bag and made her way to the door, before throwing him one last pointed look.

"Hurt him, and I'll break your neck," She growled, all traces of that fun-loving girl gone out the window, "I'll cut off your balls and then break your fucking neck, is that clear?"

Ichigo swallowed harshly, "Crystal."

"Okay then!" She smiled broadly, as if she hadn't just been threatening to rid him of his genitals and then kill him, "See you later, Ichigo, and have a happy birthday!"

And with that, Rangiku was out of the room, the only trace of her was the lingering scent of her floral perfume.

Ichigo felt the blood rush to his head, and had to lean against the wall to hold himself up. He felt like he was going to faint.

…

Ichigo awoke the morning after his birthday with a pounding headache and an uncomfortable tug in his stomach. As yesterday was the last day of school and also his birthday, there had been a large dorm party to celebrate. Most of the students weren't leaving for home until this morning or were staying at the university over the holidays, so almost the whole boarding house had been up for a big one. Ichigo himself had gotten utterly wasted – now that driving wasn't an issue – in Chad and Renji's dorm before moving along the hall way, dorm room after dorm room, collecting more drinks and friends along the way. The later the night got, the less he could remember.

Sticking his arm out to his bedside table, Ichigo patted around, looking for a glass of water, or anything to sooth his dry mouth, but there was nothing. Glancing at the alarm clock, Ichigo found that it was well after 10am. He groaned, and shielded his eyes from the light streaming in through his window.

He couldn't remember getting back to his dorm. The last thing he remembered was…Ichigo's mind went blank. He recalled seeing Toshiro when he'd reached the girls dorms; the prodigy was in Rangiku's bathroom, holding the girl's strawberry blonde hair back while she vomited into the toilet. He hadn't been altogether sober himself, if Ichigo recalled, but in comparison with himself and Rangiku, the white-haired stunner was in much better shape.

Actually now that he was thinking about the boy, Ichigo could vaguely remember Toshiro physically supporting him at one point. They were walking…somewhere…Ichigo's arm slung over Toshiro's shoulders as he staggered along…was it the hallway of the boarding house? Probably. He'd been singing, that much he remembered. He'd been so drunk and happy to see Toshiro, that he began singing "Lean On Me" – in fairly terrible English –and laughing because that was exactly what he was doing; leaning on Toshiro. _Oh God,_ Ichigo cringed, that was embarrassing. Toshiro must have been taking him back to the dorm.

Ichigo groaned as he sat up and pulled himself out of bed. He needed some painkillers, water and greasy fried foods pronto. He also needed a shower, since he smelt like bourbon and coke, and apparently he'd spilt some on himself, because his right arm was sticky. He swayed a little as he stood up, and his eyes took a moment to focus. He must have drunk a lot last night; he was still wearing his clothes from the night before. Ichigo stumbled a little on his way to the bedroom door and braced himself to face Toshiro on the other side; he had a feeling that the young genius was not going to be entirely happy with him.

The first thing that hit Ichigo when he opened his door was the smell wafting out of the kitchen. Bacon, delicious fried bacon. His mouth watered, especially when the scent of cooked eggs, mushrooms and tomatoes joined in. Was Toshiro cooking for him? No, the prodigy was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of assorted fried goods in front of him, forking it idly, with a small frown on his tired face. That, and they didn't have a stove-top to cook with.

Ichigo's eyes wandered over the other occupants of the room. Rangiku sat at the table too, her hair a complete mess, make up smudged and still wearing her dress from last night, but with one of Toshiro's hoodies slung over her shoulders. Had she slept here? She looked much worse than what Ichigo felt like, and she too was playing with her food. Lastly, a little old lady that Ichigo didn't recognise was sitting at the table between them, serving up another plate of breakfast. She was rather tiny, with light grey hair tied into a neat bun and large, doting eyes.

"Ichigo, dear," The old lady called him, shocking Ichigo out of his thoughts, "Come eat your breakfast; you look like you need it."

More surprised than he was to find a little old lady in his dorm, he was shocked to learn she knew his name. Cautiously he made his way over to the table; Ichigo doing his best to look like he hadn't got completely hammered the night before, before taking a seat on the only available chair. The old woman placed a plate in front of him; two fried eggs, plenty of bacon, a fried tomato and a small pile of little fried mushrooms, with toast on the side.

"I had to get it from the café down the road, since there is no stove here, but it should taste fine just the same," The woman informed him.

Ichigo thanked her quietly; still unsure as to who she was, before digging in to his breakfast. He almost moaned at the taste; this was exactly what he needed this morning.

"I'm Toshiro's grandmother, by the way," The lady continued, "But you can call me 'Granny', Ichigo, dear."

Ichigo glanced up at her. Other than size, the woman held little resemblance to her grandson. Her eyes were grey in colour, her face rounder with well-defined cheek bones. Her nose was a different shape, and although her hair had gone grey, he could see some dark brown streaks through it. Actually, she looked a little like her other grandchild, Momo, but not a lot like Toshiro.

Toshiro hadn't mentioned she'd be coming over today. Ichigo blushed, only imagining what he must have looked like, or worse, smelt like. The dorm was a bit of a mess too, since he'd started his celebration here with Shuuhei before heading over to Renji and Chad's. Also, by the looks of things, he'd made a bit of a mess when he'd arrived home with Toshiro; the prodigy himself either too drunk or too tired to clean it up.

"I'm sorry the place is such a mess, Granny," Ichigo apologised, liking the way 'Granny' rolled off his tongue, "I would have cleaned up if I had known you were coming…"

Toshiro snorted and earnt himself a quick smack to the back of his head from his grandmother.

"Nonsense, dear," Granny responded in a strict tone, "Toshiro didn't know I was coming either, otherwise I wouldn't be sitting at a table with three hungover college students, two of which are underage."

Ichigo, Toshiro and Rangiku cringed in unison. This was not the best first impression Ichigo had ever made.

"Sorry," All three of them mumbled.

"You're forgiven," Granny sighed, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her grandson's eyes, "Toshiro tells me it was your birthday yesterday, Ichigo?"

"Yes, Granny," Ichigo replied with a smile. Granny came across as the type of grandmother that could never stay mad at her grandkids for long; the type that took care of her family no matter how badly they fucked up. Ichigo didn't really have any grandparents; his father's parents had passed away many years before Ichigo was even born, and his mother's lived on the other side of the country, and he was lucky if he saw them every third Christmas.

"Happy birthday then, dear," Granny smiled at him, before handing him a plate of cookies, "These are my special birthday cookies, share them with your friends."

Ichigo blushed lightly as he accepted the plate of cookies and thanked her earnestly. Had Toshiro really told his grandmother that it was his birthday before she'd come to visit them? He must have, since these cookies were obviously home-made and the dorm didn't have the appliances to make cookies here. Granny would have had to have made these at home first before bringing them here.

"Now Toshiro, if you've finished with your breakfast, you need to go rinse your plate, and then get your things together," Granny ordered her grandson firmly, "And shower too. We have a long car ride ahead of us."

"I told you I'd get the train so you wouldn't have to drive, Granny," Toshiro grumbled, getting to his feet and taking his plate over to the sink.

"No grandson of mine is going to get a train by himself for three hours."

Ichigo smirked as he watched the interaction between Toshiro and his grandmother. Obviously Granny was the firm hand sort; she was still soft and caring when it called for it, but apparently she wasn't afraid to use a bit of tough love in her disciplining. Toshiro rinsed his plate as asked, before wandering off to the bathroom for a shower.

"Rangiku, dear, tell me how you've been," Granny turn her attention to the strangely quiet, and obviously still extremely hungover Rangiku, "How are you coping without that Gin fellow?"

…

Ichigo felt a thousand times better now that he was showered and his stomach was filled with a substantial breakfast. As he re-entered the dorm after dressing, he found that Rangiku had left – apparently she hadn't stayed here like he thought she had, but had been ordered here by Toshiro's grandmother for a "decent breakfast and a lecture on not getting her grandson drunk".

Toshiro was standing by the door with a large duffle bag thrown over his shoulder and a pile of books under his arm. Granny was collecting her handbag and keys from the kitchen bench.

"Leaving so soon?" Ichigo called, he was a little sad that it was going to be about a month until he saw his crush again when school resumed mid-August.

"We must beat the traffic, unfortunately, Ichigo," Granny quipped, coming over to hug him. She was little and frail, but her hugs were strong and loving, "I've written down my number for you. It's on the fridge, should you ever need anything."

"Thanks Granny," Ichigo mumbled into her shoulder as he bent down to her level. He'd been so surprised at how easy she came to care for him, given that they'd met about an hour ago, "It was nice to meet you. Toshiro mentions you all the time."

Ichigo smirked as he saw the young genius roll his eyes from his position at the door.

"He's a good boy," Granny smiled as she released Ichigo from the hug, "And it's nice to know he has good friends here."

"I wouldn't say that we're-" Toshiro went to cut in with an irritated voice.

"Hush, Toshiro!"

Toshiro's mouth snapped shut, but the scowl did not leave his face. Ichigo chuckled to himself; the boy could be as tough and independent as he wanted at school, but at the end of the day, his grandmother still ruled over him. _Such a Granny's boy,_ Ichigo grinned, _but so adorable._

"Well, we best be off now, dear," Granny said, turning to face her grandson, "Junrinan is a three hour drive from here."

"Goodbye Granny," Ichigo waved, "See you in a month, Toshiro!"

The prodigy growled and crossed his arms over his chest – well, as best he could with all those books – and threw him a half-hearted glare. Granny nudged him in the ribs, and the prodigy released an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Goodbye, Kurosaki."

…

 **So, some news; I am actually heading off to Europe in 10 days (not even counting) for 3 months! I've been planning it for ages but it's finally coming up and I'm so excited (and terrified, tbh, I'm going soloooo). In regards to this story, I'm working really hard to get chapters 9 and 10 up before I leave, however I won't be taking my laptop with me and I'm not sure if I'll be accessing a computer at any point, so it is extremely unlikely that I'll be able to update until I get home early September (don't h8 me). I'll try and get chapter 11 mostly done so that I can update as soon as I get home. PLEASE NOTE: Just because I am away for 3 months does not mean this story is going to be abandoned, I am really OCD about finishing my fics so don't worry, this will get finished, so follow the story if you haven't already you'll know when I make my return**

 **Pretty please REVIEWWW!**


	9. Returning The Favour

Chapter 9: Returning The Favour

Lately, Toshiro had been acting a little… _off._

Ichigo didn't realise at first. They'd only just started back at school a few days ago. Toshiro had been his usual snarky self, as far as Ichigo could tell, but perhaps a little colder than normal. When Ichigo had asked him about his holidays, the prodigy's replies had consisted of one word answers in combination with the occasional shrug. His tone was emotionless and indifferent, like he had been on the very first day back in April. He wasn't listening either, when Ichigo recounted the stories of his summer break, but was staring off into nothingness.

The first theory that Ichigo came up with was the possibility that the course-topping student was simply stressed with his workload, as it wouldn't have been the first time. It had been the holidays but many professors had assigned work to be completed over the break, and there was the September exams coming up, so Toshiro potentially becoming overwhelmed with his study, and returning to work as well as karate and soccer, seemed to be a fairly logical explanation.

However, Ichigo – being as observant of his crush as he was – started to notice the boy slipping into trances half way through reading his text or writing a sentence; Toshiro would just stop, his eyes glazing over as he stared unseeingly at a bare wall or empty tea cup. If he'd been writing at the time, his pen would just hang limply in his loose grip. If Ichigo didn't rouse him – through a physical shake of his arm or a nudge in the side because calling out never worked – the boy would sit like that for as long as fifteen minutes. Toshiro, when brought to attention, would shrug Ichigo off as if nothing had happened and get straight back to his work. After seeing Toshiro mentally slip away three times in under two hours last night, Ichigo began to question if study-related stress was the problem. He'd seen the white-haired genius stressing over his workload before, and usually when that happened, the boy would stay hunched over his study for hours, pen never leaving paper as he scribbled his notes furiously. When he was stressed like that, the boy worked faster and more efficiently than ever…But this Toshiro barely got any work done at all.

The second thought came to Ichigo's mind less than a minute ago, and now he was evaluating whether the lack of contact between him and his crush had set their relationship development back a few steps. Rangiku had warned him; " _He will pull away the second things begin to look bad."_ Of course, to Ichigo, nothing bad had happened, but maybe to Toshiro, the time over the break had actually eroded Toshiro's trust in him, since he was no longer around to promote their friendship. Ichigo was still figuring out how the kid genius' mind worked, but so far he'd understood that Toshiro didn't have many friends because he didn't want many friends. Ichigo had somehow managed to breach the first few walls surrounding the boy's heart, so perhaps over the holidays the walls had repaired themselves with Ichigo once again locked out.

Ichigo felt a heaviness in his chest. That couldn't be the answer; he wouldn't let it be the answer. He'd worked too fucking hard to get barred again.

It also didn't really explain the spacing out Toshiro would do.

Releasing a sigh, Ichigo knew there was only one person at the university who might have some idea of what mind-sucking parasite Toshiro had lodged in his brain; _Rangiku._

He found her easy enough. She was lying on the grass in the quad, beach towel beneath her and large bug-eyed sunglasses hiding her eyes. She had a couple text books lying unopened beside her, but apparently the possibility of developing her tan outweighed her study.

"Rangiku," He called, he couldn't tell if she was awake or not with those glasses on.

"Ichigo," She whined, swatting his leg as he stood over her, "You're blocking my sun."

Ichigo sighed, plopping down next to her. He crossed his legs and leaned back on his arms for support.

"Toshiro's been acting strange lately," He began, glancing up at the cloudless sky, "I don't know what's causing it."

This news caught the strawberry blonde bombshell's attention. She propped herself up onto her elbows before lifting a hand to pull down her sunglasses just enough so Ichigo could see her eyes. The icy blue irises were darker than normal – and not from her shadow. They were…confused, maybe, with hints of worry flickering deep within.

"I know," She replied softly, "He won't talk to me about it either."

"But he tells you everything?" Ichigo questioned, his surprise obvious in his voice.

Rangiku nodded solemnly, "I know it's serious when he's reluctant to share. I'm worried, Ichigo."

Her second sentence was a mere whisper, like she was too scared to say it out loud, as if announcing it made the situation more real.

"What do we do then?"

"We wait," Rangiku gave a half-shrug, "There are three possibilities; One, we wait for a favourable moment and strike while his guard is down. Two, he gets worked up to the point he has a major breakdown and spills everything. Finally, and the least likely to happen, he comes to us willingly."

Rangiku described their options like it was a military battle plan. Her tone held authority and control, getting immediately to the point without fucking around. She scared Ichigo sometimes; she could swap between carefree and relaxed to serious and back again in the blink of an eye.

"Well, if the third is unlikely, I'd rather not let him deteriorate until he has a breakdown," Ichigo frowned, "What do you mean when you say 'favourable moment'?"

"When his guard is down is the best time to pull information from him," She answered like it was obvious, "I wait until I see him acting funny, such as slipping into trances in this case, and then confront him about. It usually takes tears on my part before he'll open up. He doesn't like people worrying about him."

"So, you guilt him into talking?"

Rangiku nodded, "I know it sounds bad, but it's the only way that works. He bottles his emotions up until he explodes and that is where is headed right now. The extra stress of school and his other commitments adds to it and then he snaps. It's better he feels guilty for a minute in order to release his pain."

"How many times have you done this?" Ichigo asked, incredulous. He was starting to get very worried about the mental state of his young roommate now; he shouldn't be carrying the whole burden of whatever the issue was.

"Maybe twice," Rangiku shrugged, "People think I'm a dumb blonde and my grades don't help my case, but I'm good at reading people and I'm observant. I know how Toshiro works, just like he knows me too."

Ichigo sighed; he still had much to learn about the 14 year old prodigy. Quietly, he thanked Rangiku, promising to keep her updated if he notices anything that might be relevant to Toshiro's strange behaviour, and making her promise to do the same. As he stood and turned away, Rangiku called out to him again.

"Keep building that trust, Ichigo," She advised, returning to her sun tanning, "He needs you too."

…

A few days after his chat with Rangiku, Ichigo received a text from her:

' _Ichigo, meet me at the library after class.'_

It was a fairly ambiguous text, but Ichigo could safely assume that she wanted to meet to discuss the latest update in the – quote – "Disturbed prodigy saga", which had been getting more and more severe as the days went on. Toshiro actually seemed to be doing better on Friday, he was responding in full sentences and didn't seem to space out as often as he had been, although he refused to change his expression from a deep frown.

However, at some point over the weekend, he seemed to deteriorate drastically. He wasn't even trying to study anymore; Toshiro would just sit and watch TV without paying attention to what was on. On Saturday night, Ichigo had come home to find the genius staring blankly at the television, which was on the infomercial channel, displaying a half hour length advertisement about a robot vacuum. The boy wasn't sleeping well either, with large purple bags developing under his eyes, and seemed to be almost completely oblivious to what was going on around him. He would have missed his morning class this morning if Ichigo hadn't reminded him. He'd asked the prodigy straight out what the issue was, but Toshiro just replied softly that he was 'fine' and he didn't know what Ichigo was talking about.

Rangiku had been attached to his hip at every possible minute, just waiting for the right moment to confront him, but so far her attempts had been unsuccessful. Toshiro must have caught on because he was now actively trying to avoid his best friend.

Ichigo sighed; he wished Toshiro could just come to him, or even just to Rangiku at this point, and share his troubles.

The lecturer rounded up his presentation and Ichigo slid out the back of the room before the crowd could intercept him. He weaved in between other students on his way to the library, many of his peers were suffering a severe case of Monday-itis, and many still looked hungover from their weekend parties. Ichigo eventually made it across campus to the massive building that was the KTU library. He found Rangiku sitting with Chad of all people in one of the small group study rooms.

"Hey," Ichigo greeted them as he slipped into a chair next to Chad.

Chad nodded silently in return, and Rangiku – who was actually on the phone – gave him a small wave before quickly rounding up her conversation with whoever was on the other line.

"We've got a big problem, Ichigo," Rangiku said softly as she hung up her phone and placed it on the desk in front of her, "One that we aren't going to be able to fix."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, taking in the gloomy expression on her face and her watery eyes, "What had happened?"

"I know why Toshiro's been so distracted lately," She explained solemnly, "Granny called me this morning and told me everything; she's worried about him too."

Ichigo glanced briefly at Chad – whose expression was calm as always but his one visible eye was conveying obvious sadness – and wondered why he was here. As far as he knew, Chad and Rangiku had only ever met a couple of times, and his connection with Toshiro was no greater.

"She's dying, Ichigo," Rangiku stated, her voice rising in pitch.

Ichigo snapped his head back to look at her, "What?!"

"Granny's cancer came back," She answered, pulling a tissue out of her bag to dap her eyes with, "She was diagnosed a few years ago but she had been in remission for over a year, and now it's back. Toshiro never told me."

Pain ripped through Ichigo's chest. It felt like someone had run him through the heart with a sword or large chef's knife. His ears started to ring, and he could no longer hear the background chatter of happy students studying just outside their room. He found his sight going blurry too. This couldn't be happening; not Granny. Ichigo had met her once, but she was the most pure soul he'd ever come across and she had immediately took him in as if he was another grandchild of hers, despite the fact that he was hungover at the time.

"She seems to be pretty accepting of it," Rangiku continued, "But Toshiro is not handling it. Apparently, he had a panic attack when he was talking to her on the phone a few days ago."

Well, that would explain his strange behaviour lately and the rapid deterioration over the weekend. He keeps spacing out because he can't focus on anything else, he can't sleep because it's all he is thinking about. Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose, and exhaled heavily. Rangiku was right, they couldn't fix this. Sure they could try and comfort the boy and get him to open up about his feelings, but they couldn't save his grandmother from cancer.

"And the doctors have ruled that she is definitely dying?" Ichigo asked, still not fully accepting the news.

Rangiku nodded, releasing a shaky breath, "She's too old to respond to the treatments, and they can't keep putting her through the chemotherapy. They've said she's got about three months left, maybe four or five at best."

Ichigo held his head in his hands as he leant on the study desk. _Poor Toshiro,_ the boy must be so devastated right now; Granny means the absolute world to him. He even lives with her! How is he going to get through this? Not alone, that's for certain; Ichigo was not going to let him suffer on his own. Another thought hit Ichigo as forcefully as a speeding semi-trailer.

"Wait," Ichigo snapped his head back up to look hard at Rangiku, "Toshiro lives with her, right? What will happen to him? Does he have parents?"

Toshiro had only ever mentioned two family members; Granny and Momo.

"No, he doesn't have parents," Rangiku grimaced, "Granny is his legal guardian; he doesn't have anyone else…"

Ichigo sighed. Chad fidgeted beside him, and Ichigo could tell he was uncomfortable; this situation hitting way too close to home for the burly Mexican.

"Where will he go then?" Ichigo questioned, his heart sinking further, "He's only 14."

"Momo is too young to become his new guardian," Rangiku answered, "That leaves two options: A – Toshiro moves overseas to live with Momo's parents, who he isn't very close with, or B – foster care."

Her voice was low when she revealed the second option, and Chad visibly flinched. He'd suffered in foster care, ending up in a number of unsafe homes with less than ideal foster parents. Ichigo felt his heart stop beating for a second; Toshiro couldn't end up in either of those situations. State care was a definite no and Ichigo knew that the prodigy would definitely not want to move overseas, especially to live with people he wasn't completely comfortable around.

"I know what you're thinking," Rangiku continued, more serious than he'd ever known her, "Chad here is helping me create a third option."

Chad was studying social welfare and with his own personal experiences, the large Latino would have a pretty good understanding about the legislation in regards to the care of a minor.

"What's the new option?" Ichigo asked, knowing that any new possibility couldn't be worse than the ones already in place.

"I'll take him," Rangiku announced evenly, "I want to be his guardian."

Ichigo's eyes bulged out of his head, "You?!"

Rangiku nodded assertively. Ichigo's jaw dropped. Sure, Rangiku would look after the boy well enough, since she already cared so much for him, but she was irresponsible and lazy and a huge party girl, there was very little chance she could actually care for a young teenager. There is a huge difference between being best friends and being someone's carer.

"Is that even legal?" Ichigo asked disbelievingly, turning to Chad for answers.

"Rangiku is technically old enough to do it," Chad replied, clearing his throat, "But the Family Court will be a little hesitant. If she can get a higher-paying job, keep her school and criminal records clear of incidents, and maybe even find her own place to live, a judge will be more willing to allow it, especially since Hitsugaya is already so self-sufficient on his own."

"Chad also said that it would be a huge advantage to have the previous guardian's recommendation," Rangiku chimed in, "I just spoke to Granny on the phone and she approves. She knows Toshiro doesn't trust anyone else."

"Granny wants you to be Toshiro's new guardian?" Ichigo asked, still not quite convinced.

She shrugged, "It's better than the other scenarios."

"But, Ran-" Ichigo said, "This is a huge commitment. Toshiro will be your responsibility until he is 18. That's another four years away. Are you sure you want to do that?"

Rangiku nodded confidently, "He's my best friend, Ichigo, and he is like my brother. I'll do whatever it takes to keep him safe and happy. Besides, he's so mature anyway, as long as he doesn't get into trouble for anything, it will just be like living with a friend…who I occasionally have to sign permission slips for…"

"And financially?"

Chad answered this one, "Rangiku will be able to claim welfare payments to support him. Also I understand that Hitsugaya's tuition is covered by the school, so there is one less burden."

"Plus, he has a job," Rangiku smiled, "He already pays for most of his own things."

Ichigo sighed. He had to agree that this was the best of the three options. Granny approving was probably the tide turner for him; there was no way that the old woman would put her grandson in harm's way, and if she trusted Rangiku to support Toshiro, then Ichigo had to have faith that it was the best decision. He also knew that Toshiro would probably be the happiest with this option and that was all her cared about in the end.

He and Rangiku both agreed to keep it to themselves for now, firmly believing that last thing Toshiro would want to hear right now was who was going to replace his grandmother, only weeks after finding out she was dying. They spent another hour in the library as Chad took them through the basic process, and gave Rangiku a list of tips to help her case in front of the Family Court. Both males in the room promised to do their best to help her in any way they could. Afterwards, they packed up their bags and Rangiku and Ichigo headed back to the dorm; it was time to put their comforting skills to the test.

On the way there Rangiku gave Ichigo a full run down of the comforting process for Toshiro. Ichigo found it fascinating how both Rangiku and Toshiro had elaborate but strict routines when it came to consoling each other. He recalled that afternoon when Rangiku had turned up at their door, crying because her boyfriend had cheated on her, and Toshiro had immediately sought out the items he required to comfort her – which had included tissues, ice cream and sake – like he'd done it 100 times over, which he almost had apparently. Rangiku explained that she had only really needed to comfort him once or twice, so her knowledge was not as fully developed as his was for her, but she told Ichigo what she knew anyway.

"When he is sad, he gets thirsty, but only for water, so we will need to get a large bottle for him, preferably with a pop-top lid. I've never seen him cry, but if he does, he will fall asleep straight afterwards, even if he was wide awake beforehand…or at least, that's what Momo told me. Running your fingers through his hair will calm him instantly and same goes for lightly scratching his back. Lastly, he'd rather die than admit it, but I know he likes to be cuddled."

"Cuddled?"

" _Cuddled."_

The two of them entered the dorm and were met with silence. Toshiro's backpack was sitting on the kitchen table but the prodigy was nowhere to be seen. Rangiku crept quietly across the floor to the boy's bedroom door. Peaking in, Rangiku turned back to Ichigo and nodded at him to follow her. He collected a bottle of water from the fridge – as they had close to ten bottles already in there – and met her by the door.

Toshiro was passed out on top of his sheets, half dressed for soccer training with his soccer shorts and socks on, but still clad in his regular t-shirt. He had obviously been so tired that he couldn't even finish changing before falling asleep. Ichigo's eyes softened at the sight, before he soundlessly pulled his phone out of his pocket and text Karin to tell her Toshiro wouldn't be making it to training that night, saying that the boy had fallen ill. Rangiku climbed onto the bed, pulling the covers out from under the sleeping boy and then settling herself down next to him, and wrapping her arms around his waist. She gestured for Ichigo to join them, and so he did. Ichigo laid down on Toshiro's other side and pulled the blankets back up over the three of them, while inaudibly praying that Toshiro trusted him enough to not freak out when woke up to find a strawberry in his bed.

The boy in question stirred, awoken by the shuffling about and arms encircling him, and mumbled incoherently as he regained consciousness. He'd been facing Ichigo with Rangiku spooning him from behind, and confusion was the first expression to pass over those striking teal eyes as they began to focus on Ichigo.

"Kurosaki?" Toshiro mumbled, lifting his arm to poke Ichigo in the cheek.

Ichigo fought back a smile; Toshiro was cutest when he was tired and confused. He tended to have peculiar habits when he was only semi-conscious, and also when he was drunk, which generally included playing mindlessly with whatever he could get his hands on, which was why the boy was currently tugging softly on his shirt. Well, at least he hadn't thrown a fit or panicked…yet.

Toshiro eventually became aware of Rangiku behind him, as she slowly dragged her fingers through his hair. He rolled on to his back to look at her.

"Rangiku?" He asked, awareness becoming apparent, "Why are you in my bed? Why is Kurosaki in my bed?"

Toshiro was showing the first signs of panic as he looked between them rapidly, and fidgeted, trying to sit up. Rangiku pulled him closer and continued to drag her fingers through his hair patiently. Ichigo was surprised to see her theory was correct as the boy ceased his struggles almost straight away. He was obviously still quite alarmed to have two people in his bed, but he was fairly calm about it, throwing a half-hearted glare at Rangiku and waiting silently for an explanation.

"Granny called me, Tosh," She explained to him, "She told me everything."

Ichigo's heart cracked as he watched Toshiro's face screw up in horror.

"It's not true," Toshiro's voice shook, "They've made a mistake."

Rangiku said nothing but held the boy closer as he resumed his previous struggles. Remembering the bottle of water, Ichigo pushed it firmly into Toshiro's grasp. The white-haired beauty took it without question, popped the cap and drank it like his life depended on it. Rangiku had been right about that too. Ichigo figured that he must prefer to pop-top as opposed to a screw cap as he watched Toshiro drink it while lying down. The bottle was just over half-full when he stopped, clicked the cap back down and clutched it to his chest. Toshiro's breaths were becoming rapid and short, and Ichigo could tell he was on the verge of having another panic attack.

Not sure what else to do, since Rangiku's hand in his hair was only doing so much, Ichigo shuffled closer and threw an arm over Toshiro. There was a good chance he was over-stepping his boundary with this move, but he had to calm Toshiro down quickly, and this was the only thought coming to mind. Toshiro tensed at the contact but otherwise said nothing, his panic still growing steadily.

"Do you remember when I was sick, Toshiro?" Ichigo asked softly, "I was sad that night, and I got you to tell me a happy story. It really helped me, so now I'll tell you one."

Again, Toshiro remained silent, blinking owlishly at him. He probably hadn't noticed, but Ichigo could see that his breathing was starting to plateau, which was the first step in turning him back away from the anxiety.

"When I was maybe 4 or 5, my parents got me a toy doctor set for Christmas; it was the greatest thing ever. It came with a bag and had a plastic stethoscope, reflex hammer, sphygmomanometer, otoscope…it even came with a small lab coat and face mask," Ichigo recounted, noting that Toshiro had shifted slightly to face him, "My mum would pretend to be my patient, and let me check over the girls too. They were babies at the time, so when I told Yuzu she had bad reflexes, she started crying…"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, but his breathing had steadied, and his entire focus was on Ichigo. Ichigo stifled a laugh at the boy's expression, and subtly used the distraction to run his finger nails lightly over the boy's clothed back; if the young genius noticed, he didn't comment, but Ichigo believed he was probably too wrapped up in his story to realise what was happening. Rangiku had propped herself up on an elbow, her other hand still combing through Toshiro's hair, she too listening to the story.

"Yeah, I felt really bad for making her upset, so I wrote her a fake prescription for 'reflex medicine'," Ichigo continued, "When my dad saw how much I loved playing doctor, he'd let me come in and pretend to treat some of his patients, so long as they didn't mind…I've wanted to be a doctor ever since."

Toshiro had been slowly sipping on his water throughout the story, no longer panicked but still terribly sad. Ichigo continued to scratch his back and Rangiku had sunk back down to hold him. Eventually the boy did speak up, his voice was strained and his eye's turned glassy.

"How did you cope when your mother passed away?"

It was so soft, Ichigo almost missed it.

"I didn't…not at first anyway," Ichigo answered honestly, "I tried to deal with it alone, but I just ended up hurting my family. In the end, my father taught me that I needed to talk about my feelings with the people I love, so that we can get through it together."

Toshiro nodded slowly, frowning as he thought to himself. Ichigo could see the tears coming before Toshiro quickly clenched his eyes shut and rolled over to face Rangiku, burying himself in her chest. His body shook a little but no sounds were made. Rangiku buried her nose into his hair as she held him tighter, and Ichigo shuffled a little closer to continue his ministrations to Toshiro's back. Rangiku was right about the cuddling thing too, apparently.

"I don't want Granny to leave," The boy croaked pathetically.

"She doesn't want to leave you either," Rangiku whispered, "But whatever happens, Ichigo and I are going to be with you the whole time, I promise."

Toshiro didn't reply, and Ichigo didn't expect him to. Rangiku was right, they were not going to leave him; they'd be by his side for the whole thing. Ichigo knew how it felt to lose the person you love most in this world, and he hated that Toshiro was now going through the same thing, but slower.

At some point, the 14 year old college student fell asleep; his breathing deep and even, his body limp in Rangiku's arms. Ichigo and Rangiku shared a look; they would do whatever it takes to look after him.

…

 **Well, damn.**

 **Anyway, I'm off to Europe! Chapter 10 is almost finished, so I should be able to post it not long after I get home. Love you guys and thanks for the support so far! We are about half way through now, and I'm super excited to keep on writing. Follow for update notifications and see you guys in Septemberrrrrrr!**

 **Please review xx**


	10. Boys' Night

**HEY HEY HEY**

 **I'm home (yaaay!) and although I had the most fantastic time in Europe, I'm glad to sleeping in my own bed. Anyhoo, thanks for your patience and here is the latest chappie:**

Chapter 10: Boys' Night

Toshiro frowned as he watched Ichigo flitter around the dorm, preparing the room for his "boys' night" with Renji Abarai, Shuuhei Hisagi, Izuru Kira, Ikkaku Madarame, Yumichika Ayasegawa and Chad. _Chad…_ It annoyed Toshiro beyond belief that nobody seemed to know the gentle giant's last name, everyone telling him that the man's name was simply 'Chad' and that was all there was too it. Toshiro was uncomfortable calling people by their first names out loud – besides family, Rangiku, and on the odd occasion, Ichigo – as it seemed to promote some sort of familiarity, and that usually caused people to want to befriend him.

He didn't like making friends.

As Ichigo moved the coffee table from in front of the couch and placed numerous blankets and pillows on the floor, Toshiro had to wonder about his relationship with Ichigo. He had taken a long time to come to the conclusion that they were, in fact, friends, and begrudgingly, he had to admit he was rather glad to have the strawberry's enthusiastic company. The 19 year old medical science student had been utterly amazing lately, with all Toshiro had going on. Ichigo and Rangiku; Toshiro honestly didn't know what state he'd be in now if they hadn't been so damn persistent about comforting him since they'd found out the news.

He didn't like to think about it, and for the most part, he didn't have to. He was usually pretty good during the week while he was busy with his university studies, as well as his work, soccer and karate. He'd even started tutoring the Kurosaki girls and Jinta after soccer training and volunteered to help Ikkaku teach his junior classes on Saturday afternoons. The bald fighter had recently taken up a job at the Karakura Town Junior Karate Club as a weekend instructor, and although he was a brilliant fighter and teacher to other college students, little kids were out of his comfort zone. The kids seemed to react better to Toshiro, perhaps because of the closer age and height gap or maybe just because he had hair. Either way, it meant that he was busy all day Monday to Saturday, from as early as 7am to as late 10pm on some nights, and then come Sunday, all he would do is sleep or study.

Saturday nights were the hardest; he'd finish helping Ikkaku around 6pm and then he'd call Granny to check up on her. He swore that as the weeks went on, she sounded frailer and weaker each time she answered his calls. Every conversation was the same, she would insist that she was okay and 'feeling better this week', and every time she would deny him permission to come home and take care of her. She wouldn't let him take time off school or put any _unnecessary_ strains on his currently perfect academic record. Still at home, Granny had a nurse staying with her, providing around the clock care and driving her to her doctor's appointments at the hospital, but Toshiro wanted to be there himself; he didn't want her to be without family. Granny always coughed when she was on the phone, and they always sounded wet which usually meant she was coughing up blood. When Toshiro would eventually hang up the phone, he felt like there was a heavy anchor in his chest, slowly but surely sinking his heart into his stomach. He felt like someone had put a choker collar around his neck and was gradually pulling it tighter.

Toshiro now only made the call when he was safely behind his bedroom door, but with either Ichigo or Rangiku or both somewhere else in the dorm room. Ichigo had caught on to his behavioural patterns quickly and now at 7:30pm every Saturday night, Ichigo would enter his bedroom with a cup of lavender tea – the strawberry had actually googled 'calming teas' – and an oversized bottle of chilled water. Toshiro would gratefully accept the gifts and Ichigo would usually hang around until he was sure the prodigy was feeling better, or at least, until his hands stopped shaking and he could hold his tea properly. The two of them would later sit down and watch a movie together. Toshiro found out that his roommate's favourite type of movies were the superhero variety, which he didn't mind himself – seriously, who could resist Chris Hemsworth as Thor? – And it was a major step up from those ridiculous sappy chick flicks Rangiku liked to bore him with.

"Okay, I think we're ready!" Ichigo suddenly exclaimed from the middle of living room.

Apparently the orange-haired male had finished setting up for his boys' night. With all the cushions and blankets lying in front of the TV, it actually looked pretty inviting, although strikingly similar to Rangiku's girls' nights. He shuddered at the memory; at least at this one, he probably wasn't going to have to paint anyone's nails.

"Remind me again," Toshiro commented from his place at the kitchen table, "What are you doing tonight?"

"Boys' night!" Ichigo chirped happily, "A couple of beers, a bit of poker and then a marathon of the Avengers movies…"

Toshiro frowned, he wasn't sure if you could call two films a marathon but he didn't want to burst his roommate's bubble.

"You know, you could join us…" Ichigo smiled cheekily at him, "We don't bite."

"Ayasegawa does after a couple drinks…" Toshiro muttered, "And I wouldn't put it passed Madarame."

"Well I suppose they're perfect for each other then," Ichigo smirked, "Come on, Tosh, we just got the new Avengers DVD and I know you want to watch it too! It will be fun."

Toshiro frowned. Today was Sunday, so he had no commitments and he'd already spent most of the day asleep. Now he was awake – although he still felt exhausted and like he hadn't slept at all – and was without an excuse to not participate. He felt uncomfortable though, as he usually did in these sorts of situations. He knew all of Ichigo's friends and they all knew him, but he wasn't very comfortable around them– not even Izuru who was dating his cousin, or Renji and Ikkaku who he did karate with. It was his own fault really; he wasn't comfortable around most people.

"I think I'm just going to study in my room," Toshiro sighed, packing his notes up in preparation to move into the bedroom.

"All your spare time is spent studying these days," Ichigo frowned, "You need to take a break."

"I slept until lunch time today," Toshiro argued, "I think that was a big enough break."

"Only because you were so exhausted from the rest of the week," Ichigo retorted, "And you've been studying for 5 hours straight now. Please, Toshiro, take a break, do something fun."

Toshiro glanced up and raised an eyebrow at Ichigo, who mirrored his expression perfectly. They did this often; each challenging the other to step down. Toshiro usually ended up admitting defeat – unless he was super desperate to get his own way – because Ichigo was bloody stubborn, and Toshiro was, as painful for him as it was to confess, a bit of a sucker for those imploring puppy dog eyes.

"I will study for a while," Toshiro compromised, pushing his thick rimmed reading glasses further up his nose, "And then join you for the movie."

"Both movies?"

"The second one only."

"No, you need a bigger break," Ichigo crossed his arms like he actually had authority in this situation; "You may sit out the first film, but join us for dinner, poker and _The Age of Ultron_."

"Counter proposal," Toshiro stood straight and folded his arms over his chest as well, "I'll eat dinner with you guys – provided it's in the dorm, not the dining hall – skip poker, and then return for the second movie."

"What do you have against poker?" Ichigo questioned, "We don't bet real money or anything…"

"Well, obviously I'm really good at it," Toshiro shrugged with an arrogant smirk, "And I wouldn't want to embarrass you in front of your friends."

Ichigo scoffed, taking a few steps closer to Toshiro, "I highly doubt that; you're good at a lot of things, Toshiro, but poker is an adult's game and, well, you know…"

Toshiro gave a mock laugh and quickly bridged the gap between them, grabbing a fist full of the idiot's shirt collar and pulling him down to his eye level. The strawberry's eyes were wide with shock, obviously not expecting the aggressive move, and he swallowed hard. Toshiro had to smirk at that stupid expression on his face; like he was actually going to hurt the fool.

"Let's play for it then," He hissed, somewhere between playful and annoyed but strikingly dangerous, "Right here, right now. You win, and I'll take the whole night off. I win, and I go back to studying – taking breaks only if I want them."

Ichigo's shocked expression turned cheeky, as his eye's gleamed sinisterly, "You're on."

Toshiro released his roommate's shirt and Ichigo scrambled off to find some playing cards. He returned a second later, as Toshiro finished packing up his study notes and putting them in the bedroom; he'd be coming back for them in a minute.

"Basic Draw Poker," the 19 year old announced, "I'll give you five cards, and you may trade three for new cards or four if you have an Ace. Good?"

"Excellent."

About ten minutes later, Toshiro sat staring blankly at Ichigo as he stared back at him with an equally emotionless expression; it was actually probably the first time he'd ever seen that strawberry face look so impassive. It seemed as if they were finally going to play; the first few rounds had never gone anywhere since each time one of them had folded. There was a lot on the line tonight, Toshiro believed, and he wasn't going to risk it with a low hand.

"You ready, Kurosaki?" He smirked.

"Sure am, Hitsugaya, get ready to spend all night with the boys."

"Finally calling me by my last name; miracles do happen."

Ichigo grinned manically before flipping over his cards, and spreading them in front of Toshiro. He waved a hand in front of them, like one of those presenter ladies on game shows.

"Full house," He announced triumphantly, "Beat that, Prodigy!"

Toshiro squinted down at the cards with a frown. Full house indeed; three 10's and two Kings. He glanced back at his own hand briefly before flicking his eyes back up to a smirking strawberry. _That idiot._

Toshiro sighed and flipped his own cards over.

"Four of a kind," He stated dryly, "Sorry not sorry, Kurosaki, but you better keep practising."

Ichigo stared down at Toshiro's cards dumbly as he comprehended what had just occurred. Toshiro himself got to his feet, and marched over to his bedroom door.

"Make sure you boys aren't too loud tonight, okay?" He called over his shoulder and flashing Ichigo a wicked grin, "I've got a lot of study to get through."

Toshiro had barely closed his door behind him when he heard the frustrated and indignant roar of his roommate.

"FUCKING PRODIGY!"

…

Ichigo's friends had been arriving over the last half hour or so, as Toshiro could hear through the thin walls. He could hear Ikkaku and Yumichika bickering over stupid topics and then they'd go silent, and he'd hear Renji call across the room, telling them to "Get a room if you wanna fuck." Toshiro just prayed they didn't try come in his room. They all seemed to know he was in here though, given that Ichigo was still sulking about losing poker and was grumbling to whoever would listen. Toshiro also knew that Chad was in the dorm, but only because Ichigo had greeted him in a loud, rather enthusiastic voice, but the shy Mexican had not said much since.

Another knock on the main door, and Toshiro heard Shuuhei and Izuru arrive; that was everyone accounted for. Toshiro returned his concentration to his astronomy readings; he couldn't have cared less about what crude jokes Shuuhei was telling or what loud mouth comments Renji had up his sleeve. His attention was brought back to the visitors about ten minutes later, however, when he heard Izuru mention his name.

"How is Hitsugaya coping with the news?"

Toshiro cursed under his breath; he'd forgotten that Izuru knew about his grandmother's illness, he was dating Momo after all. He'd actually called Momo when school had returned to see if she was okay – they had their issues, but they shared a grandmother and Toshiro still cared for her deeply – since he hadn't seen her around campus yet. She had started crying on the phone and he could hear Izuru in the background trying to sooth her. Momo had probably known for about a week at this point, as Granny had called her and her parents a couple days after she and Toshiro had spent that horrible afternoon at the hospital getting her test results. It kind of stung that Momo hadn't tried to call him first, but he was used to it by now; she'd simply forgotten since she was so wrapped up in her own suffering. Toshiro couldn't really blame her though, since it'd taken him close to ten days to pick up the phone.

"He's okay, I guess," Ichigo answered, "He keeps himself busy so he doesn't have to think about it much."

Toshiro raised an eye brow at his roommate's response. He was grateful that Ichigo had been rather vague about that; the last thing he needed people knowing about was his panic attacks or that night Ichigo and Rangiku had spent holding him in bed while he fought back tears. The strawberry was a gem; Toshiro gave himself a half-smile, Ichigo would never sell him out like that.

"Momo is heartbroken," Izuru stated, voice solemn, "It's terribly sad. Granny was such a lovely woman."

Granny _is_ such a lovely woman, Toshiro clenched his jaw; _she's not dead yet._

"Oh, she's the best," Ichigo agreed, "They are lucky to have her."

 _So lucky,_ Toshiro nodded to himself, pleased at the strawberry's use of the present tense. That seemed to end the conversation as Ichigo herded them towards the TV and soon after, Toshiro heard the Avenger's theme playing as the guys shuffled about, presumably getting comfortable. Sighing, Toshiro turned to his laptop to play some of his own music softly – as not to be heard through the walls – and returned to his study. He put his readings aside, and moved on to the written work that required more concentration on his part.

…

"Come on, Toshiro," Ichigo's soft voice called out to him from somewhere above, "Wake up."

Toshiro opened his eyes and frowned; why was everything on his desk so close to his face? And blurry too?

"Up you get, Princess," Ichigo shook his shoulder, "I'm putting you in bed; you can't sleep at your desk."

 _Sleep at his desk? Why would he do that?_ Toshiro's frown deepened as his muggy thoughts tried to sort themselves out. _Did Ichigo just call him a 'princess'?_ He blinked a few times before he realised that his head was resting upon his curled up arm, which lay atop his maths textbook. His glasses were hanging loosely at the tip of his nose, explaining his previous questions. His music still played quietly in the background, barely audible over the sounds of Ichigo's friends; apparently they were still here.

He was vaguely aware of something warm rubbing his back in a circular fashion before he remembered the strawberry standing over him. Pushing himself up slowly, Toshiro found his other hand fiddling idly with the fingers on Ichigo's free hand; alternating between tugging them gently and stroking them like he would pet a cat or something. He didn't know why he did stuff like that, his hands just sort of moved without his conscious permission. Ichigo didn't seem to mind, chuckling softly; he was probably used to it by now. Toshiro sluggishly pulled his hand back and mumbled something akin to an apology.

"Come on, you're exhausted," Ichigo continued as the warmth left Toshiro's back, "You need to go to bed."

"No," Toshiro slurred tiredly, stretching out his arms and back, "M' study now."

Ichigo released an exasperated sigh, and leaned over Toshiro to reach his laptop; saving the work and shutting it down. Toshiro watched him stupidly, making weak protests. He quickly grabbed a hold of his textbook and clutched it to his chest before Ichigo could take it from him. The strawberry tried to pry it from his grasp, but Toshiro held on tightly; he still wasn't completely mentally aware, but he knew he wanted to keep his book to study with. His mind would catch up soon; he just hoped he wouldn't lose his book before then.

"Toshiro," Ichigo warned sternly and suspiciously similar to the way Granny would, "I'm not letting you study anymore tonight."

Toshiro tightened his grasp around his textbook and pouted up at his roommate. He didn't want to go to bed now; it was only…actually he didn't know what time it was since his glasses had now fallen off and he couldn't read the time on his alarm clock.

"No," He whined, yawning a little and twisting away from Ichigo's meddlesome hands.

The 19 year old sighed again, and ceased his attempts to remove Toshiro's prize. The hand that had been rubbing his back previously returned to its job.

"You have two options, Toshiro," He spoke calmly, "Put the book down and go to bed, or you can come out with me and watch the movie. It's your choice."

"The second one?" Toshiro asked sluggishly, weighing up his options and ignoring the voice in the back of his mind that was suggesting he wack his roommate over the head with his book and return to studying. He was aware that he was brain was slow upon first waking up as it always was, but he felt slower than usual tonight. He felt like he was drunk, but doing his best to appear sober in front of an adult.

"The second one," Ichigo confirmed with a small smile and an encouraging nod.

"Oki," Toshiro murmured with a small frown, _what was he agreeing to again?_

Ichigo helped Toshiro to his feet, holding him up tentatively while he swayed on the spot, before turning to grab the spare blanket of the end of his bed; the blue one Granny knitted for him when he was a child.

"Let's go," Ichigo gestured towards the door, and then he frowned at the book still in Toshiro's grasp, "Give me that."

Toshiro looked down at the book; he'd forgotten that he was still holding it.

"No," He grumbled, "It's mine, get your own."

And with that, he stormed passed Ichigo into the main room, but not before catching a glimpse of a smirk on his idiot roommate's face. The bright lights blinded him for a second as he left the considerably darker bedroom and stepped under the threshold into the shared space. Ichigo's friends were gathered around the kitchen table; pizza, playing cards and poker chips scattered across the surface.

They greeted him with enthusiastic hellos and wild hand gestures. He wasn't sure if they were drunk, or just excited to see him, or perhaps he was imagining the whole thing. He still didn't feel like he was awake – kind of like he was dreaming. He waved dumbly in return.

"Are you okay, kid?" Probably Ikkaku – since he was usually the only one brave enough to call him that – asked.

"He's fine," Ichigo appeared beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder, "He just gets a little loopy when he's tired. He's going to watch the movie with us."

"Sweet," Renji hollered with a mouth full of pizza, "I never got to see it at the cinemas."

Ichigo led Toshiro to the middle of the couch before turning to the TV. The other guys came and sat down on their various spots on the floor, except Chad who sat on the couch on Toshiro's left. Turning to face the large Latino, Toshiro prodded his cheek gently.

"What's your real name?" He asked bluntly. Apparently, his mind wasn't coming back to him anytime soon and now he was going to over step his boundaries and poke people's faces.

"Yasutora Sado," the Mexican answered softly.

"Sado," Toshiro echoed the surname, pleased with the information.

Ichigo plopped himself down on Toshiro's other side with a fresh beer and began adjusting his own blanket before Toshiro turned on him and flicked his nose. Ichigo glared half-heartedly at him, raising an eyebrow expectantly.

"I told you 'Chad' wasn't his real name," Toshiro muttered.

Ichigo sighed again – he sure did sigh a lot – and Toshiro grinned at him.

"Normally you only act strange for a few minutes after waking up," Ichigo grumbled, "Obviously, you're so exhausted now that you're still not with it after fifteen minutes."

Toshiro was mildly aware of the confused looks he was getting from Ichigo's guests, and the odd chuckle throughout the room. Ignoring it, he dropped his textbook to his lap and opened it, flicking absently though the pages looking for pictures. He didn't want to tell Ichigo that he was right, but he did feel extremely tired.

A second later, Ichigo was pushing a mug of tea under his nose.

"It should have cooled down enough for you to drink it now," Ichigo murmured softly, placing the mug into Toshiro's small hands.

The prodigy took it with an appreciative smile in his roommate's direction, and sipped quietly on the warm beverage. Camomile with honey; his favourite night time beverage. It tended to make him sleepy though, which might just have been Ichigo's aim.

Someone flicked off the lights, and Ichigo used the remote to start the movie. Toshiro's mind was now back in action, for the most part, and he was glad to have the darkness of the room to hide his blush as he recalled all the dopey things he'd said and done since Ichigo had woken him up. _Oh god, he'd acted like a child…and he'd done in front of people._

 _He had actually poked Chad's face…Yasutora Sado's face._

Ichigo would be fairly accustomed to his odd behaviour when tired by now, but still, it was highly embarrassing. He still had his textbook in his lap after all this time, for God's sake.

Looking around the room, everyone was deeply engrossed by the film. Toshiro and Ichigo had seen it at the movies a few months ago, with Rangiku who had the hots for Captain America and Ichigo's best friend from high school, Tatsuki – a black belt like Toshiro – who was a lesbian in love with Scarlet Johansson. Ichigo seemed to be the only one there for the storyline, while the rest of them were just there for the eye-candy.

As if reading his mind, Ichigo nudged Toshiro's side suggestively at the first shot of Thor.

"There's your boyfriend," Ichigo whispered, loud enough for only him to hear. Maybe Ichigo had a few beers at this point; it'd probably explain why he was so tolerant towards Toshiro's nonsense this evening.

"Please, we all know how you feel about Hawkeye," Toshiro retorted.

"Nah, I'm more into Iron Man," the strawberry grinned, "I love a smart-mouth genius."

Toshiro punched his arm, ignoring the chuckle from Ichigo. Sometimes he wondered if the strawberry had feelings for him, or if he was just naturally flirty. He was betting on the latter; there was no way Ichigo would fall for a guy like him. The man probably saw him as a little brother, if anything, since he was actually younger than his baby sisters.

As he glanced over at Ikkaku, who was spooning Yumichika and nuzzling his nose into the feminine man's ebony locks, Toshiro couldn't help but feel a little sad. Sometimes he wanted a boyfriend; someone to lie in bed with all day, or just to snuggle with while they watched movies. He frowned at the 'snuggle' reference but, as lame as it was, that's what he wanted. Other times, however, he was reminded of what assholes people can be, and he remembers that he is better off alone.

He punched Ichigo in the arm again, almost causing him to spill his beer.

"Ouch," He hissed, "What was that for?"

"That's for calling me 'princess', you idiot," Toshiro growled.

Toshiro could see Ichigo's ridiculously white teeth as he smirked in the dark. He'd deserved that.

It was about half way through the movie when Toshiro felt the tiredness consume his body again and he started to lose the battle against his eye lids as he fought to stay awake. At some point, Ichigo had removed his thankfully now empty tea cup from his rapidly loosening grip and ensured his blanket was tucked around his legs. Every now and again, Toshiro would feel his head drop limply, so that his chin rested against the top of his chest, before he'd jolt awake again for another couple of minutes, only to repeat the process.

Eventually Toshiro felt a strong arm wrap around his shoulders and pull him against Ichigo's chest. He was too exhausted to argue, and besides, it felt quite nice. The strawberry's warm body and steady heartbeat was enough to lull Toshiro into a comfortable sleep, not to mention the protective hold the older male had on him.

The last thing Toshiro was conscious of was a wickedly mischievous voice from the ground below; the low baritone that could only have been Renji Abarai.

"Comfortable there, Strawberry?"

...

 **Thanks again to all of you who returned to read this after my time away. I'll start writing the next chapter ASAP, and hopefully it ill be up within a week or two.**

 **Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your support, and, if you'd be so kind, please drop in a review and let me know what you think of this chapter. Love yassss xoxox**


	11. Group Work (Interlude)

**Hi!**

 **This is a short interlude chapter before we hit the real stuff; I hope it brightens your Monday**

 **ALSO, you should definitely check out LethanWolf's brand new fic** _ **, 'The Word Lust'**_ **, I promise you'll love it, and I know she'll be updating regularly ;)**

…

Chapter 11: Group Work [Interlude]

"…This is a group assignment-"

A collective groan echoed around the large lecture hall. The lecturer, seemingly ignorant to the protest of his students, continued on without missing a beat.

"Each group is to be made up of no more or less than three students and each group will be assigned a topic-"

"Ugh…" grumbled Renji from his seat at the back of the hall, "Why do they keep doing this to us? Surely they know that nobody likes group work?"

"I don't know," Izuru sighed from Renji's left, "But hopefully he'll let us choose our groups this time…"

Renji let out another quiet groan as he slumped forward over his desk. The soft thud of his head hitting the small table was muffled somewhat by his open notebook. Indeed, he did hope the teacher would allow them to pick their own groups, because the only thing worse than a group assignment was a group assignment with people he didn't know or like. The awkward library trips, the constant disagreements, relying on idiots to do their parts correctly; honestly, it was more trouble than it was worth. Picking the group himself wouldn't be so terrible; at the very least, he'd still have Izuru.

"You have ten minutes to sort yourselves into groups. Once a group has been formed, send a representative down to collect your topics and record the names of each student in the group."

Some students cheered at the idea of not being forced into a group of strangers, while most made a frantic grab for their closest friends as if they were about to disappear.

"Excellent," Izuru clapped his hands together, "You and me, Renji."

"We need a third…" Renji looked around the room eagerly, "Who don't we hate?"

Izuru chucked quietly as he too looked around the room, "What about her? What's her name again? Nema? Nemo?"

"Nemu," corrected Renji as he glanced up, "And no, she's weird, like I heard someone say that she's actually a robot in a human body…"

Izuru frowned, "Well what about that Sojiro guy? He does karate with you right? And he's looking our way."

Renji made a face of disgust; he hated that guy. Sojiro Kusaka was an ass. That arrogant smirk, those dirty comments, the constant showing off; the only time Renji liked being partnered with him was during sparring practice when he'd get to show the fucker that _no, he wasn't that good at everything, especially karate_ , and when the teacher wasn't looking Renji often managed to get a good hit to the face in. _Oh sorry, man, it was an accident; you should really practise your blocking technique._

Besides, the loser wasn't looking at him or Izuru at all, he was looking one row below them at little Hitsugaya. Renji snorted back some laughter, Kusaka had the hots for Toshiro, everyone knew that, but the kid never gave him the time of day and actually seemed to hate Kusaka more than Renji did. Another one of Renji's favourite past times was casually mentioning Ichigo around Kusaka and how close he and Toshiro are nowadays and the prospect of them getting together one day in the near future.

"I have a better idea," Renji whispered to Izuru, "Watch this."

Renji leaned forward over his desk and reached out a hand to tap Toshiro gently on the shoulder. The boy, who seemed to have not paid his surroundings any attention and appeared to be oblivious to the stare coming from the dark haired male several rows down, looked up in brief confusion.

"Wanna join our group?" Renji asked in a crisp, clear voice, as to be heard by anyone paying the exchange any attention, "Izuru and I need a third person."

"You want me?" Toshiro asked, eyes wide and blinking owlishly, clearly taken aback by the proposal, and Renji felt a little bad for the kid; he doubted many would have asked the boy to join them.

"Well, yeah…" Renji nodded quickly, "It could be fun?"

"Fun," Toshiro echoed, his eyebrow raised sceptically.

Clearing his throat, Renji's eyes briefly flicked to Kusaka whose face was reddening madly, "Yeah, why not? Izuru, me, you, we can work in your dorm, Ichigo will be there…"

Izuru, who seemed to follow Renji's gaze to the angry brunette glaring daggers at them, started to laugh before quickly stifling it behind a terribly fake cough.

Toshiro too noticed they were being watched, and after a quick pause as he observed the furious onlooker, he agreed to join Renji's group. Renji knew he would; he kind of had to, as his choices were so limited and the only other person who would want to be in a group with him had just snapped his pen in half in rage. Boy, did that Kusaka have some issues.

…

"Hey Toshiro!" Ichigo exclaimed, bouncing into the dorm room, a small book in hand, "Look what I got y-, hey, what are you guys doing here?"

Renji smirked as the strawberry stopped short having found his roommate sitting at the kitchen table with two of his own friends.

"Group assignment," supplied Izuru as he flicked through his notes.

"Yes, we are just having some nice, quality bonding time with young Toshiro here," Renji grinned and winked subtly in Ichigo's direction.

"It's Hitsugaya to you…" Toshiro mumbled without looking up from his own notes.

"Oh… Okay then," Ichigo looked dumbfounded for a second, before piping back up, "Anyway; I got this for you, Toshiro…"

The orange-haired teen practically skipped to the boy's side, before lowering the book he'd been holding onto the young prodigy's papers. Toshiro studied it closely, gently running his fingers over the soft covered front before opening it.

"This is…" Toshiro breathed, "Kurosaki, this is incredible. Where did you get this?"

Renji pushed off his chair, arms holding him up as he tried to get a better look at the book. _The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,_ read the title. Renji had heard of it, of course, it was an old classic from the 80's or something, but he didn't know why it was so special to his young classmate.

"It's a first edition," Ichigo informed his white-haired roomie, "It was my mum's. I saw it on the bookshelf at home and I remembered how you lost your copy…you practically turned this place over looking for it."

Renji raised an eyebrow and exchanged glances with Izuru. The strawberry seemed to have a perfect memory when it came to Toshiro and yet he never remembered to bring a jacket to wear after basketball training. Flopping back into his chair, Renji grinned at how in love his friend was, however wholeheartedly he was trying to deny it. He recognised the signs from his own attempts to woo Rukia after they'd first met; it seemed like only yesterday when they had shared their first kiss at his party, but in reality, they'd been dating for almost five months now.

"Mine wasn't a first edition though," Toshiro responded, his eyes already skimming through chapter one, "It's one of my favourites; I can't believe your mother read this…"

"Yeah," Ichigo chuckled, scratching the back of his neck, "She loved it. That's why I want you to have it."

Broken from his retrieve, Toshiro glanced up in shock, "Ichigo…I can't take this; it belongs to your family."

Renji thought he might have fallen out of his chair for a moment, but as he found himself still sitting steady, he had no choice but to believe that he'd just heard the aloof boy-genius call someone other than Rangiku by their first name. _Maybe he's ill?_

"Nah, it should be with someone who loves it as much as Mum did, and at home it only collects dust," Ichigo argued, "She loved lending books to friends, so I think she would be happy for you to keep it. Please, Toshiro, take it."

Sensing an intimate relationship-developing moment was occurring, Renji followed Izuru's lead in ducking his head and pretending to write notes, trying to give the surely-to-be couple as much privacy as possible without making it more awkward.

"I-I don't…" Renji heard the prodigy stumble out, "Thank you, Ichigo, I'll look after it."

"I know you will, Tosh."

Renji snuck a quick peak at the pair, and was surprised to see the normally cold and distant Toshiro Hitsugaya blushing. _No, he isn't sick,_ Renji thought while failing to supress a smirk, _but_ _he has got feelings for Ichigo, though._

He quickly caught Izuru's eye. He could tell what his blonde friend was thinking; it was, after all, exactly what he himself was thinking. _When will these two get together?!_

…

 **Tehehe**

 **The next chapter is pretty full on and it's giving me a headache, but I shall have it up early next week… Probably.**

 **Also, a quick reminder that this is an M-rated fic and it will be earning that rating level** **very soon.**


	12. Ship to Wreck

**Okay so, as I reminded you at the end of the last chapter, this is an** **M-RATED STORY!**

 **Chapter name is taken from a Florence + the Machine song with the same title; it's good if you're into that type of music.**

 **A SUPER SPECIAL THANK YOU TO MY GIRL, MOSCO (LETHANWOLF), FOR BEING MY BETA ON THIS ONE! If you haven't already, check out her fic, 'The Word Lust', it's amazing and incredible and all sorts of awesome.**

…

Chapter 12: Ship to Wreck

Toshiro was…drunk. Well, probably anyway, he couldn't really remember how much he had or why he was drinking in the first place. _There was a party,_ he thought, and he was pretty sure that he could hear music and drunken shouting coming from the dorm above, but it was pretty well drowned out by the gasps and moans of the guy he was currently snogging.

Pushed up against a wall in a dark room, with a tall guy wrapped around him, two hands under his shirt and a tongue diving deep into his mouth, Toshiro didn't dare open his eyes to find out who it is that he was with. He'd forgotten that information.

He wished it was Ichigo though. He was still unsure as to when he'd suddenly developed romantic feelings toward the strawberry, but he had, and now he had to live with it.

Toshiro wasn't sure of much anymore, but he was sure that the guy whose hand had just dipped below the waistband of his jeans was definitely not Ichigo. He was certain, however, that ever given the chance to find out, Ichigo would feel different. He'd be gentler, for sure, and Toshiro believed that the strawberry's skin would feel softer and warmer, unlike the rough, calloused hands that were now groping his ass.

He felt himself getting lifted off the ground before he was slammed back against the wall, the mystery man's hips crashing against Toshiro's own. It probably would have hurt his back if he hadn't been so drunk, but alcohol is numbing, and Toshiro was very glad for it. The man ground against him once more and Toshiro cracked open an eye in time to see the man throw back his head as he released a loud moan. It was too dark to see who it was, but Toshiro had his suspicions now, and he didn't like it at all. It also occurred to him that while a rock hard arousal in the man's jeans rubbed up against him, Toshiro wasn't hard at all. In fact, he wasn't the least bit turned on. Maybe alcohol is a little too numbing.

"Fuck, Toshiro," The man groans, "You have no idea what you do to me."

Toshiro didn't reply, but his suspicions were confirmed, and now he was frantically trying to come up with an excuse to get out of this situation before it escalated. But alas, the alcohol had done its job a little too well.

Hearing the thud before he felt it, Toshiro realised he had been dropped unceremoniously to the floor, and since he can no longer stand on his own, he has simply crumpled to the ground. A tight hand around his forearm pulled him to his knees as another hand ran through his hair, gripping it at the roots and pulling his head back. Toshiro gasped, but in pain because he was still not aroused, however his partner seemed to be oblivious.

"Yeah, you like it rough, don't you, Slut?"

Toshiro cringed, although he couldn't decide what he hated more: the dirty talk, the nickname or the slick, wet appendage that was instantly at his neck. He heard a zipper being undone, and he knew Kusaka was undoing his own fly.

"Noo, Kus-ka, no," Toshiro resisted, although even he could hear the slur in his speech. He must have had a lot to drink.

He pressed his small palms against what he assumed – _hoped_ – was Kusaka's chest and pushed back with as much strength as he could muster.

"Don't be like that, Baby," Kusaka purred as both hands gripped Toshiro's wrists, "It will be fun. I'll make you feel good."

"But – Ichigo – No, I need Ichigo," Toshiro mumbled, shaking his head, and squirming out of Kusaka's grasp.

"ICHIGO ISN'T HERE!" Kusaka bellowed, Ichigo's name seemed to sting him, "He doesn't want you! He was kissing Grimmjow, remember?!"

And, just like that, Toshiro remembered exactly how he got into this situation. Kusaka had told him that he had seen Ichigo making out with Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, his blue-haired teammate on the basketball team. He remembered how that news had cut him deep, how stupid he felt for thinking – even for a second – that anyone, especially Ichigo, would return his feelings…could actually like him.

He had forgotten and now he felt as he did when he first found out – when was that? Ten, twenty, thirty minutes ago? In short, he just felt empty… And just as he had when he first found out, Toshiro threw himself back into Kusaka's hold, just to feel something.

He only wanted to feel good.

…

"Dude, what are you doing?" Renji asked, a smirk on his face as he plopped down on the couch next to Ichigo.

It was well after 2am, and they were in Izuru and Shuuhei's dorm, as it was on the fifth floor where the current party was happening. There were about twenty people hanging out in the dorm, most crowded around the kitchen table where Shuuhei and Ikkaku were versing each other in beer pong, and through the open door, Ichigo could see students racing up and down the hallway on miniature skateboards. The dorm across the hall had its door open too and had been turned into a sort of rave room with quick techno music and home-made lasers, and Ichigo could see his fellow boarders dancing madly to keep up with the beat.

"What do mean, Pineapple?" Ichigo glanced around the room, hoping to catch sight of his tiny roommate who he had lost about an hour ago.

"I'm talking about your boy, Strawberry," Renji took a swig of his beer, "Look, we all know you like him, you know you like him, so why aren't you doing anything about it?"

Ichigo choked on his beer, "Wh-what?! I-I don't think-"

"Just go talk to him, you idiot," Renji gave him shove, "Tell him how you feel, and then let him decide how he feels – and I'm sure he likes you too, by the way – and then BA DA BING, BA DA BOOM, you will be making sweet, sweet love to-"

"ALRIGHT!" Ichigo cut off his redheaded friend, abruptly getting to his feet, "Alright, I'll go talk to him, but I'm not making any promises. I don't even know where he went…"

"Back to your dorm, probably," Renji responded with a lazy shrug as he swung his legs up on to Ichigo's abandoned spot on the couch, "He was absolutely trashed the last I saw him, Rangiku might have taken him home."

Ichigo took a deep breath, and turned on his heel, heading back to the dorm and silently praying Toshiro would be there.

…

Toshiro tightened his hold on the base of Kusaka's cock as he sped up, his mouth widening to take in more of the man's length. His head bobbed faster, and the nails on his other hand dug into Kusaka's thigh. The brunette didn't notice however; he was too far gone.

Loud moans echoed around the tiny bedroom, and Toshiro wished Kusaka would just shut up. He felt like he'd been giving head for ages now; his knees hurt from the cold, hard floorboards and his jaw felt like it was cramping from staying open so long. Kusaka had been quite rough too, and not in the sexy way; he pulled at Toshiro's snowy locks harshly, and often thrusted his hips at Toshiro, the tip of his cock hitting the back of his throat and more than once, Toshiro was sure he was going to hurl. With some miracle, he managed to keep it down, but if this was what sex was going to be like, he wasn't sure he was going to want it…ever.

Still drunk, but mildly more aware of what was going on – he had, at least, discovered it was his own bedroom they were in – Toshiro decided that he would not be having intercourse with Kusaka tonight. _Nope, no way, not happening,_ Toshiro didn't care how much his heart was hurting, his throat was now hurting more and he decided that it took priority. Resolving to finish off Kusaka quickly, he'd kick the annoying man out, and then do what all drunk and heartbroken teenage college students do; vomit, cry, sleep, and then hate themselves come morning. A good plan.

Kusaka was pretty much screaming at this point, and Toshiro began to speed up even more. He swallowed while the weeping cock was deep inside his mouth, before hollowing out his cheeks and sucking hard. Kusaka started pulling his hair again and began scratching his neck and shoulders to the point Toshiro was sure that blood had been drawn. His tongue quickly circled the head before Toshiro plunged down once more. This was his first time giving anyone a blowjob but if the sounds Kusaka was making was anything to go by, he mustn't be half bad.

Maybe if he showed Ichigo, the strawberry might change his mind about him.

Toshiro didn't have time to dwell on the thought though, as Kusaka suddenly screamed his name and thrusted further into his mouth. As warm, salty liquid suddenly filled his mouth, Toshiro rapidly pushed Kusaka away before he'd even finished coming, and spat the foul substance from his mouth. _Fuck_ , he'd forgotten about that part. He felt the last of Kusaka's juices splash onto the top of his hand and knew that, even though it's too dark to see, his bedroom floor was probably a mess. He slumped tiredly against a cold wall, clutching his burning throat and waited for Kusaka to regain his breath so Toshiro could kick him out.

He never got the chance to.

The bedroom door swung open, the light flicked on and Toshiro suddenly found himself looking into the intense, brown eyes of his roommate. Shock followed by saddness flashed in those beautiful irises, and Toshiro looked around the room to see what Ichigo was seeing. He was full dressed – thank the gods – but Kusaka's pants were down to his knees and his softened cock was on full display. Semen was spilt all over their clothes and on the floor and if Toshiro looked in the mirror he was sure he'd find some on his face.

He suddenly felt sick, like _really sick_. His stomach was surely doing somersaults inside him and the room around him spun. His throat still stung, plus his mouth was so dry that his tongue felt like sand paper. He felt his face flush hot while a cold chill ran down the length of his body.

"Ichigo, move!" It was Rangiku's voice, "I can't see – oh!"

Toshiro wanted to look up at them and explain, but his heart was pounding against his rib cage and his breathing was too rapid to be okay, and then he knew a fraction too late what was about to happen.

He snapped his head to the side before spewing the contents of his stomach onto the floor. Once, twice, three times before he was sure that every drink he'd ever consumed in his life was in that puddle and he dry heaved uncontrollably in the awkward silence. His stomach still churned but it was empty now. The room still spun around him, however, and he felt himself fade. The light was on but the room was getting dark, he saw Rangiku's feet move towards him quickly and felt her grab him as he slipped sideways – upper body heading straight for his vomit. His vision went black, but he felt her save him, pulling him back into her chest, and he heard her call out to Ichigo. And then the rest of the world was shut out from him.

…

"Ichigo? Are you okay?"

Ichigo looked up to see Rangiku exiting Toshiro's room. It was almost 8am on Saturday, and he was sitting at the kitchen table, frowning into his cup of coffee. He hadn't slept very well…or at all, really.

"I'm fine," Ichigo croaked in his coarse morning/drinking-the-night-before voice, "How is he?"

He gave a short jerk of his head in the direction of Toshiro's door, but it was hardly necessary; Rangiku would have known who he meant.

"Still sleeping," Rangiku answered a little stiffly, before wandering over to the fridge to inspect its contents, "But it would have been close to dawn before he actually went into a proper sleep, so I expect he'll be out for a while."

Ichigo nodded. He still hadn't fully processed the events of last night – or early this morning – and he didn't even know where to begin. Toshiro and Kusaka? When had that happened? Were they going out now or was it just a drunk hook up? Ichigo thought Toshiro hated Kusaka; he just couldn't understand it. It hurt so much.

He was expecting to come home to Toshiro already asleep or doing something ridiculous like studying drunk or drawing more pictures of planets, but nothing could have prepared him for what he was met with. Toshiro on the floor, covered in semen and Kusaka with his pants half off and clearly coming down from an orgasm-induced high. It didn't take a genius to work out what had just occurred, and to cap things off, their resident genius instantly began to vomit on the floor before passing out. _What a scene._

Ichigo had frozen; his mind in shock while the world seemed to spin on without him. Luckily, Rangiku still had her wits about her as she caught the prodigy before he could land face down in his own mess. He remembered Rangiku calling his name and that brought him back; Toshiro, unconscious and covered in various human discharges, and Kusaka getting to his feet silently and pulling up his pants. Suddenly blinded with fury, Ichigo grabbed the brunette by the neck of his shirt and pulled him harshly from the room, throwing him out the dorm room door before the guy could even get his pants to his ass. He had been oddly satisfied to see the guy trip over them in the hallway.

"Never come back to this dorm again!" Ichigo had spat at him, "Don't you dare go near him either!"

He had slammed the door so fast; he never got to see the man's reaction.

"I'm going to kill Kusaka," Rangiku muttered, as if reading his mind, as she dropped into the seat across from Ichigo, "I'm going to punch him so hard the next time I see him, I swear to God."

"It takes two, Rangiku," Ichigo growled, a bitter taste in his mouth that had nothing to do with the coffee.

He honestly wasn't sure who he was most mad at; Toshiro for getting himself fucked and then going off with Kusaka, Kusaka himself for taking advantage of the young prodigy in his state, Rangiku for letting Toshiro get so drunk and then not keeping an eye on him, or himself, for not looking after his roommate and for not expressing his feelings early enough. Renji had warned him on more than one occasion of Kusaka's lust for Toshiro. Maybe, just maybe, if Ichigo had confessed to the little genius, it could have been him in that bedroom last night.

"I don't give a fuck, Ichigo," Rangiku hissed, her gaze hardening, "He's twenty-three, did you know that? Twenty-three! Toshiro is fourteen. That's a nine year age gap. And he was so rough; you saw the bruises and the scratches, and that's too much. I mean, Gin was an aggressive lover, but Kusaka…I just – I can't believe it."

Ichigo's fist clenched. Yes, he had seen the bruises and the scratches. Once he had returned from throwing Kusaka out the door, he found Rangiku trying to pick Toshiro up, but in her also still pretty tipsy state she couldn't manage to hold her best friend when he was at dead weight. Ichigo stepped in and took the boy into his arms. He didn't weigh very much at all, and if wasn't for the events that had just occurred and the fact the boy was an absolute mess, he would have revelled in the idea of holding his crush so close.

They got him into the shower, where Ichigo held him up while Rangiku washed away the vomit, alcohol and jizz away from his face and clothes. She then removed his shirt, and it was then they saw the lightly bleeding scratches on his neck and shoulders and the already blackening bruises on his arms and back. However angry he might have been at Toshiro, he couldn't deny that Kusaka had certainly been too rough with the boy. Ichigo wouldn't have done that. He would have been gentle, especially as it was Toshiro's first time.

The water seemed to rouse the boy a little; Ichigo had been staring into his young roommate's face when teal irises emerged from under their lids, flickering blankly and totally unaware. Toshiro groaned and Ichigo ran his hand through his wet, snow white locks gently in order to calm him. It worked, but Toshiro had managed to utter one word before falling back asleep; "Ichigo."

"I just don't understand what happened," Ichigo mumbled dejectedly, folding his arms on the table and placing his head on them, "I thought he hated him."

Ichigo just wanted to cry, to be honest, and he wasn't much of a crier. Scratch that, he wanted Toshiro to wake up and tell them that it had been a mistake and he really loved Ichigo, and then Ichigo would pick him up and kiss him so fiercely and passionately that no one would even remember Kusaka existed.

"He does hate Kusaka," Rangiku responded, and Ichigo felt her reach across the table to pat his head, "Don't jump to conclusions, Ichigo, we don't know the full story yet. I'm not even sure Toshiro had any idea what was going on – I mean, he passed out straight afterwards, he was so out of it."

That was a possibility, Ichigo considered, and his heart sank a little. He didn't want it to be true because that basically meant they were now looking at a rape case, and he would rather Toshiro willingly gone off with another man than to have been forced into it. The thought made his stomach flip. As much as he didn't want Toshiro to have feelings for Kusaka, he certainly did not want that. But Toshiro had been so incredibly drunk that it could have been a possibility. If Kusaka had forced himself onto Toshiro, Ichigo doubted there was much the young genius could have done to stop it. He could barely hold his own head up, for goodness sake.

After they had showered the boy, Toshiro had regained consciousness enough to hold himself over the toilet bowl as a second round of vomiting hit. Although that time it had been mostly stomach acid and dry heaving as well as what little water Rangiku managed to get into him between spells. It was just after 5am when they finally felt safe enough to put him into some clean clothes and tuck him in bed. Rangiku cleaned the bedroom floor, insisting that Toshiro had done it enough times for her and it was time she repaid her debt. She then decided to stay and keep an eye on him, so she donned one of his oversized hoodies and climbed into his bed. Ichigo then returned to his own room and three hours later, they were having this discussion at the kitchen table on next to no sleep.

Ichigo sighed before getting to his feet, "He's just a kid, Rangiku."

He wasn't sure what he meant by that, and he was so caught up in his own thoughts as he headed back to his bedroom for a second attempt at sleeping, that he didn't hear her reply or see the door to his roommate's bedroom opening a fraction.

…

Toshiro hated himself.

What the fuck had he been thinking?!

He curled up on his side and pulled the blankets over his head. There was no way he could ever face Ichigo again. Rangiku would understand, he knew, because he'd seen her just as bad in the past, but Ichigo… Ichigo respected him more than anyone else ever had, and now he must think that Toshiro was just some stupid, attention-seeking brat. _"He's just a kid, Rangiku."_ Toshiro groaned as he buried his face in his pillow. His college life was over; he should just go home to Granny's in Junrinan.

Toshiro gasped; _Granny's in Junrinan!_ How could he forget?!

' _Alcohol,'_ the only smart working part of his brain reminded him, _'You drank to forget, and forget you did.'_

Granny's nurse had called yesterday while he was walking to lunch, she told him that Granny had taken a turn for the worse and had to be hospitalised. He immediately called the hospital and demanded he talk with her oncologist; the doctor said that she was entering the final stage of her cancer, that he didn't know how long she had left, but she would not be able to go home again – she was too sick. Granny would spend the remainder of life (however long that was) inside the depressing white walls of Junrinan Family Hospital.

Toshiro had snapped. All the work he was doing to keep busy had exhausted him so thoroughly that he couldn't even consider where to begin to process this information. He knew one thing, though; he needed to see his grandmother in person. He had called Momo, given her the update and told her he was going to Junrinan, and maybe she should come with him.

" _Oh Shiro, what a wonderful idea! I have no plans this weekend except to spend time with Izuru, so how about the three of us drive up on Sunday?"_

He demanded they go after classes that day, since it was Friday anyway, and stay for the weekend, but eventually they compromised on leaving the following afternoon, AKA this afternoon.

Well, on the bright side, he wouldn't have to see much of Ichigo this weekend… But had they gone with Toshiro's original idea and left yesterday afternoon, none of this would have even happened. Then again, if he hadn't had the bright idea of drinking himself stupid in order to forget, he wouldn't be in this mess either.

Toshiro heard his bedroom door opening and closing, and soon later found Rangiku under the covers with him, concerned eyes of steely blue stared at him intently.

"Hiding?" She asked, "That's not like you…"

Toshiro didn't respond; he didn't know how too.

"It's not like you to drink like that either," Rangiku continued to comment, "And it's definitely not like you to go off with guys – Especially Kusaka of all people…"

Toshiro covered his eyes with his hand. He was so embarrassed and ashamed of himself; he just wanted to turn invisible forever.

"What were you thinking, Toshiro?" She asked, peeling back his hand from his face, "Talk to me, tell me what's going on, you know I'm not going to judge you."

Again Toshiro remained silent. It was taking all his will not to cry.

"Is it Granny?" Rangiku whispered, knowing full well she would be hitting a nerve; basically everything was about Granny these days.

"She's gotten worse," Toshiro whispered back, his eyes clenching shut as he willed his voice to stay somewhat steady, "She's in hospital now and she can't go home, they don't know how long she's got left."

He felt Rangiku wrap her arms around him, and for the first time he was grateful for her hug. He buried his nose into her shoulder.

"That's why you drank so much."

It wasn't a question, but he nodded anyway.

"It was stupid," Toshiro croaked, "So stupid and I've fucked things up with Ichigo, he must hate me now."

"Yes, it was stupid, Tosh, you should have come straight to me or Ichigo, we could have helped you," Rangiku informed him, it was like a reprimand but she said it so gently that it was hard to feel scolded, "I'll drive you up if you want to go."

"Momo is taking me this afternoon," Toshiro mumbled, but he appreciated her offer.

"Good," Rangiku replied firmly.

They lay there in silence for several minutes. Toshiro realised Rangiku had never addressed the second part of his problem – about Ichigo hating him – and was now positive that it confirmed his feelings. How was he going to continue to live in the same tiny dorm with the guy he was romantically attracted to but also the guy who hated him? They practically lived in each other's pockets, how could they go on existing like that?

"He doesn't hate you," Rangiku supplied eventually, like she knew what he was thinking, "But he's hurt…and worried about you."

"He said I was just a kid."

"Well, like I said, he's hurting too, and he was tired, he just needs a good sleep and for you to explain why on Earth you went off with that slime ball…"

Toshiro cringed, slime ball was right.

"Why did you go off with him?" Rangiku prompted after another minute of silence.

Toshiro considered his answer. He hadn't told Rangiku about his crush on his roommate, having only discovered it quite recently. Actually, it was when Ichigo gave him his mother's book last week that it really hit him, but with all he had going on and always being worried about Granny, Toshiro just kind of swept in under the rug; it was a secondary issue next to his grandmother dying. Until, of course, Kusaka had baited him with it last night.

"Kusaka said that he saw Ichigo hooking up with that Jaegerjaquez guy last night," Toshiro answered carefully, "Do you think that was true?"

Rangiku frowned, "Who, Grimmjow?"

Toshiro nodded. Rangiku laughed, so he glared at her.

"God, no!" Rangiku giggled, "Grimmjow is as straight as they come, and I heard he has a girlfriend who's still at school…"

Toshiro frowned now. He certainly hoped that was true, that he and Ichigo never kissed at the party, but if it was a lie, then he had been tricked by Kusaka, and most embarrassingly, he had fallen for it.

"Hey Toshiro, look at me," Rangiku brought his attention back, "Ichigo wouldn't do that to you, he… Well, he just wouldn't, you'll have to trust me on that."

"What do you mean?" Toshiro asked, glancing up into Rangiku's once again mischievous eyes, "What's that look for?"

"No reason," Rangiku sung, "But hey, why didn't you tell me you had feelings for Ichigo?"

Toshiro choked, stuttered and with one glance at Rangiku, knew it was all over. He groaned, rolling onto his back to stare at the ceiling.

"Don't you dare tell him."

"I won't, but you should."

"I am most definitely not doing that."

"Aww, why not?" Rangiku whined, snuggling up closer to Toshiro.

"Aren't you paying attention?" Toshiro snapped, "He's mad at me! He thinks I'm a kid and it would just make things more awkward than they already are!"

"Now, now," Rangiku cooed, stroking his arm, "It's not as bad as you're imagining it; Just. Talk. To. Him. Tell him the truth, he'll appreciate it. Trust me."

"But it's embarrassing," Toshiro frowned. He really didn't think Ichigo needed to hear that he had hooked up with Kusaka because he thought Ichigo was off with another guy, because he was jealous and just wanted to be with Ichigo himself.

"Hmm well, he has already seen you covered in another man's ejaculation, as well as your own vomit," Rangiku reminded him, tapping her finger thoughtfully against the side of her mouth, "He helped me shower you too… I really don't think you could embarrass yourself anymore at this point."

"Thanks."

…

It was around two in the afternoon when Ichigo woke up again. He felt better rested, but the empty, hollow feeling in his chest had not eased up. Flashes of Toshiro and Kusaka together flickered in his mind and it made him feel sick. He really thought he had a chance with Toshiro and now he wasn't so sure.

He got up, stretched and headed out into the empty dorm room. With a glance at Toshiro's door, he wondered if the prodigy was still in there. _Probably,_ he decided, doubting that the boy would be able to go anywhere today after his performance last night. He wondered if he should go in there and attempt to straighten this out, or to demand an answer, or even just to make sure this wasn't all some elaborate prank designed – by Renji and Rangiku, obviously – to scare him into confessing his love for the young genius. _That's stretching things a bit,_ Ichigo thought glumly.

With a deep breath, he went to open the door.

On second thought, maybe he should knock this time.

So he did, and Rangiku's voice answered him, telling him to enter.

She was sitting up in the bed, Toshiro's laptop sitting on her thighs as she watched what he assumed was the latest episode of _the Bachelor_. Toshiro was on his side, facing the wall, presumably asleep or doing a good job at pretending he was.

"Ichigo!" Rangiku greeted him chirpily, mood certainly lifted from this morning, "I'm glad you're here!"

"He asleep?" Ichigo asked, gesturing to the owner of the room and blatantly ignoring her high spirits.

"Yeah," She responded, pushing the laptop off her legs and sitting up straighter, "I'll wake him up so you two can talk, we had a good chat this morning, and I think you'll really want to hear his side of the story."

She winked at him.

It wasn't unusual, considering it was Rangiku Matsumoto he was talking to but he still didn't understand why she was so giddy.

"Don't wake him up," Ichigo hissed at her, as she started to shake the boy's shoulder.

"I have to soon, anyway," Rangiku answered him, her smile dropping, "Momo is coming to get him in an hour and they're going to see Granny… She's in hospital, now."

"She what?!" Ichigo asked. He knew Granny had been living at home with 24 hour care from those home-care nurses, so for her to be in hospital now… It wasn't a good sign. She'd have to be, for lack of a better term, 'on her way out'. _Oh shit,_ Ichigo thought, Toshiro must be devastated.

He didn't get to think much more about it, because the next thing he knew, Toshiro was awake and staring at him, nervously playing with his hands, and Rangiku was walking past him, straight out the door.

"I want an honest conversation," She announced over her shoulder, "From both of you."

And with that, the door was closed behind her, and Ichigo stood awkwardly in the room where all hell had broken loose the previous night; alone with nobody but the cause of his problems, Toshiro Hitsugaya.

"Hey…" Ichigo said, not sure how else to begin.

"Hello," was the stiff reply.

A couple of beats of uncomfortable silence passed before Ichigo decided to take a seat on the end of the bed. _This could take a while…_

"So…uh, how are you feeling?"

This conversation was going nowhere fast.

"Fine," Toshiro answered, "Better than I expected anyway."

"You probably got most of it out last night," Ichigo mused; he always tended to feel better the next morning after drinking if he had thrown it up the night before. Well, it had only happened one time back in high school, but it always seemed to work for Ikkaku.

"Yeah…" Toshiro looked down into his lap, his voice almost at a whisper, "I'm really sorry about that, I know it was stupid of me, and um… Thanks for looking after me."

Ichigo nodded. He had seen the guilt and embarrassment swimming around in his roommate's eyes before he had looked away. At least they were going to tackle the big issues now.

"Did you drink all that alcohol because of what's happening with your Granny?"

Toshiro nodded slowly, "I know it was wrong. I should have come to you, but I… I just panicked and the party was happening, alcohol was there… I'm such an idiot."

Ichigo understood, he really did. He wished Toshiro could have come to him, but even he thought he would have done the same as Toshiro if he was in his place. If his mother had passed away during his teenage years, Ichigo was sure he would have turned to alcohol too at some point. Obviously it wasn't the smartest of choices, but when you're that sad – and as anxious as Toshiro – brains don't always come up with the best ideas to process that grief, not even brains like the one Toshiro has.

"I get it, it's okay," He assured his roommate, slipping down to lay beside him, "And Kusaka?"

Even though they were now lying down on their backs, staring at the ceiling and not making any eye contact, with a solid foot of empty space between them, Ichigo felt Toshiro stiffen.

"Another bad decision on my part," Toshiro whispered, voice strained like every word caused him pain.

"What happened?" It almost hurt to speak, but at least Toshiro didn't appear to have feelings for Kusaka.

"He, uh… Well, he tricked me, I guess," Toshiro seemed to measure each word before he said it, "And I was drunk enough to fall for it…"

Ichigo remained silent, hoping the boy would elaborate. It took a whole sixty seconds – he wasn't counting, no – for Toshiro to continue on.

"He said that you were with Jaegerjaquez…"

Ichigo frowned; him and Grimmjow? That was the most disturbing and ridiculous thing he'd ever heard in his life. Grimmjow annoyed the hell out of him; besides he had a girlfriend who was only like sixteen or something. Not that Ichigo could talk, his crush was even younger, but in his defence, Toshiro acted like an adult; he was surely a thirty year old in a teenage body, right?

Another thought flickered across his mind and he just had to ask:

"Why did that make you want get with Kusaka?"

Toshiro shrugged, but he was so stiff that Ichigo was sure that he did, in fact, know exactly why he did what he did.

Several more minutes of silence passed. Ichigo had a feeling he knew why Toshiro was upset by the – totally untrue – news that he had gotten with Grimmjow, and why that had lead him into Kusaka's arms, for it was probably for the same reason that Ichigo was so devastated when he found his little crush with the dark haired dick-face. He didn't want to get his hopes up though, but he saw no better time to confess to Toshiro. He was done keeping it a secret; it was now or never.

"It hurt when I saw you two together," Ichigo started, bravely rolling onto his side so he could see Toshiro's reaction, "I was jealous. I wanted it to be me instead of Kusaka… I've felt this way for months now."

Toshiro's eyes widened in surprise, his head snapping in Ichigo's direction.

"Y-you wanted…" He spluttered, "You… Y-you what?!"

"I wanted you," Ichigo confessed, a lot calmer than he thought he was going to be when the moment finally came, "I still do. I want to be with you."

Toshiro's cheeks and ears were now an alarming red colour as he continued to stutter and ramble on, complete disbelief written across his face.

"What do you mean?!" Toshiro almost shouted; eyes wide and uncomprehending.

Ichigo rolled his eyes; Were they absolutely sure this kid was a genius?

With nothing holding him back anymore, Ichigo silenced the boy with a quick but firm kiss on the lips. Well, Toshiro's lips were as soft as he imagined, even though they were slightly cracked from the dehydration of drinking and vomiting from last night. He held the kiss for a short three seconds before pulling back; he wanted to see Toshiro's reaction.

The boy blinked, staring right past him. A small hand came up to feel his lips absently.

"Oh." He muttered, cheeks blushing beautifully.

"Oh?" Ichigo was getting a little nervous now; maybe he'd been wrong.

Toshiro brought his attention back to Ichigo, whose smile was beginning to falter.

"Don't" Toshiro poked Ichigo's cheek quickly, "Don't un-smile."

Ichigo blinked, taken aback by the abrupt move, "Un-smile?"

"Shut up," Toshiro snapped, although it lacked any real bite, "I just need a second… Give me a moment… I need to process this."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as Toshiro, who had been resting up on one elbow, sunk back down onto his back, the hand closest to him tightly clutched Ichigo's own, while the other came up to rest on his forehead. He seemed to be thinking very hard on the matter. It was weird; his facial expression kind of looked stressed, but he was still holding Ichigo's hand. _What is happening?_

Ichigo – at a loss for what else to do – decided to wait calmly for the boy to give him an explanation by lying still and quiet and gently rubbing his thumb over the boy's knuckles.

"I'm not… uh, not particularly good at dealing with emotional stuff," Toshiro answered eventually, his voice the most even its been all afternoon.

"Yes, I'm aware," Ichigo chuckled lightly, "Please, take your time."

He kind of figured that if Toshiro was feeling any negativity about the whole situation, they wouldn't still be holding hands. As weird as this situation was, Ichigo knew Toshiro, and therefore knew that – while a prodigy in the classroom – the kid was totally inept at processing emotions. Ichigo could almost imagine exactly what was going on in that head of his; Toshiro would be analysing every encounter they've ever had, trying to pinpoint the moments Ichigo might have indicated that he had a crush on him, and then he'd be weighing up his options, trying to decipher his own feelings, and probably coming up with a complete list of Pros and Cons for the potential relationship they could have. Ichigo wasn't upset that the boy didn't just fall hopelessly into his arms, that wasn't him and it wasn't the boy he loved. _Liked,_ he meant 'liked'.

"I went with Kusaka because I was upset when I heard you were with Jaegerjaquez," Toshiro ventured nervously after a few minutes, "I, uh, I-I wanted to be with you too."

Ichigo smiled, _well, that was something._

"Hey, look," Ichigo tugged on his roommate's hand to gain his attention, "Don't stress about it. How about you take a couple days to think about it? I don't want to pressure you."

"What? No, I can…I can-"

"Toshiro," Ichigo cut him off, and with a gentle kiss on the boy's hand, he continued, "You've got other things to worry about right now. I'm not upset, I'm not offended. Take the time to decide."

At the moment, Toshiro's phone began to ring.

"That'll probably be Momo," Ichigo said, slipping out of the bed and noting how Toshiro almost didn't let go of his hand, "I'll be out in the living room."

He gave Toshiro a quick peck on the cheek, before heading out into the dorm, his heart lighter than it had been in months.

…

 **Aw man, I'm so nervous about this chapter… What did you guys think?**

 _Did I drink too much?  
Am I losing touch?  
Did I build a ship to wreck?_

 **Toshiro certainly did, lol sorry fam.**

 **Maybe I did too when I wrote this?**


	13. Junrinan (Part One)

**I got a brand new car today! I'm in a particularly good mood right now, so here, have a new chapter. Yay early update?**

 **This is a two-part chapter, the second of which will be posted early next week.**

 **Also, in case it isn't clear,** _scene written in italics = flashback,_ **okay now, let's get started!**

…

Chapter 13: Junrinan (Part One)

Ichigo drummed the steering wheel anxiously. Getting stuck in traffic this early on a Sunday morning was not where he wanted to be right now, but alas, an accident several kilometres ahead was causing quite the queue on this double-lane road. At first traffic was crawling along, but now it had come to a complete stop. In fact, Ichigo had killed the engine about fifteen minutes ago and nothing had changed.

The passenger door of his car was opened and Rangiku slipped back into her seat. She handed him a hot cup of coffee and a questionable-looking sandwich.

"There is a gas station just around the bend up there," She informed him as she sipped on her own coffee, "Not a great selection, mind you, and just about everyone on this road is in there."

"Did you find out anything about the crash?" Ichigo asked, once again checking the time on his watch; he was hoping to be in Junrinan by now, but they were barely half way there.

"A truck driver lost control and crashed," She told him, "No fatalities, thank fully, but the truck rolled and it's blocking the entire road. It was one of those big semi-trailers; I don't know how they'll even begin to clear it."

Ichigo groaned and slumped back in his seat, "Have you heard from Toshiro?"

"Not answering," Rangiku replied, "Neither is Momo. You?"

"Nope."

Ichigo sighed. He thought back to the previous afternoon; he couldn't believe it had only been nineteen hours since he had spoken to Toshiro last, to when he had kissed him and to when he had confessed his feelings. Nineteen hours since he had walked out the bedroom door, Toshiro's phone ringing behind him and a warm tingle lingering on his lips…

…

 _Rangiku pounced on him immediately,_

" _So…" She sung, "How'd it go?"_

 _Ichigo jumped back in shock; he'd completely forgotten she was still here. Was she ever going to go home?_

" _Good," He smiled, "Really good."_

 _Rangiku squealed, "Are you together now then?"_

" _No," Ichigo replied, "Not yet, anyway. I'm giving him time to think about it; I want him to make a decision he is confident with, and with Granny so sick, I'm not sure he's in the best place to make that decision right now."_

 _Rangiku pouted._

" _But it's all out in the open now," Ichigo continued, his happiness flowing through his voice, "And he didn't recoil when I kissed him, so I'd say we're off to a good start."_

" _YOU KISSED HIM?!" Rangiku screamed, grabbing Ichigo's shoulders and jumping up and down excitedly in front of him – an action, by the way, that a big breasted girl like her really shouldn't do._

" _It was just a peck," Ichigo rolled his eyes, and slipped from her grasp, "Nothing too special."_

 _Rangiku looked like she might faint before she slumped tiredly into the nearest chair; honestly, you'd think she'd just run a half marathon or something. Ichigo flicked on the kettle, humming happily to himself, and set up three mugs on the counter. Toshiro might want a tea before he goes._

 _Ichigo plopped the steaming mugs on the table and was just about to sit down when Toshiro exited the bedroom. He looked up with a smile at his young roommate and hopefully soon-to-be boyfriend, but when he saw Toshiro's appearance, his grin completely dropped off his face._

" _Toshiro?"_

 _The boy was whiter than his own hair, and his eyes were full of tears that were threatening to fall any second now._

" _It was the hospital that just called," He answered, his voice breaking and Ichigo was at his side in an instant, "The cancer has spread to Granny's brain. Sh-she had a seizure. She can't breathe properly. They… They don't expect her to make it through the weekend."_

 _Ichigo drew the boy into his chest as he finally broke down. Ichigo himself began to tear up. Rangiku was gone too, but she pulled out her phone and turned to Ichigo._

" _Stay with him," She said, "I'll call Momo; he needs to be with Granny now."_

…

"I'll try Izuru," Ichigo announced, gritting his teeth and fishing his phone out of his pocket.

He should have gone up with them yesterday. As it was, the only reason he stayed back was because Toshiro asked him too. They were about three weeks shy of the winter break, but since the new semester had begun in October, most students were finished with the first round of assignments, including Ichigo, so he would be able to afford to miss a week of classes to be in Junrinan with Toshiro. KTU's youngest student, however, still had a couple of assignments to submit, and had asked Ichigo to hand them in on his behalf – easy now that everything was submitted electronically. A couple of clicks on Toshiro's laptop and Ichigo was done. He and Rangiku had decided to head up early the next morning; Ichigo just hoped to be there when Granny finally passed. He didn't want Toshiro to be alone.

" _Hello?"_ Izuru picked up!

"Izuru! It's me," Ichigo sighed in relief, "How's things there? Ran and I are stuck in traffic and we haven't been able to get through to Toshiro or Momo."

" _Things aren't great here,"_ Izuru admitted, _"Granny is only getting worse. Momo's phone is…uh, broken… and Hitsugaya left his phone here – he's at the hospital with Granny right now, so that's probably why you haven't been able to contact them today..."_

"Oh," Ichigo frowned; he felt like there was something Izuru wasn't saying, "Is that all?"

" _Uh no,"_ Izuru was whispering now, _"Look, you guys need to get here soon. Momo and Hitsugaya haven't stopped arguing since we got here and it's getting out of hand now."_

"They're fighting?" Ichigo asked, "About what?"

" _Everything,"_ Izuru sighed, _"Just get here as soon as you can."_

Ichigo wanted to ask more but he had to wrap up his phone call because it looked like traffic was finally about to move. Hanging up, he quickly put away his phone, placed his coffee in the centre console and turned the engine back on. It was slow going at first, but eventually they got passed the scene of the crash; Police had set up a path for the cars to follow around the truck, but they had to keep alternating between south-bound traffic and north-bound traffic. It was another half hour before they were finally clear of the crash site.

What he really wanted to know was why the two cousins were fighting and what did Izuru mean by _"it's getting out of hand now"_? Momo and Toshiro were close, so Ichigo didn't quite understand what they would… _Wait, were they close?_ Toshiro had once told Ichigo a cute story from his childhood where he and Momo were ice skating on a frozen pond, and had made it seem like they had a really tight bond, but since Ichigo had known them, he'd only seen them together two or three times. He remembered the first; Renji's party. There had been a lot of tension there if he recalled, and he'd forgotten to ask about it. Then the only other times were at Ichigo's basketball games when Rangiku had dragged Toshiro out to watch and they had sat with Momo who was there cheering on Izuru. Ichigo couldn't believe he'd missed that in all his efforts to get to know Toshiro.

"Hey, Rangiku…" Ichigo ventured when they got up to regular speed, "What's the deal with Momo and Toshiro? I feel like there is a lot of tension there, don't you?"

Rangiku clenched her jaw and made a sound that Ichigo couldn't decide if it was a groan or a growl, but it definitely put Marge Simpson's disapproving ' _mmmm_ ' to shame.

"Well, it all started when Momo moved into Granny's for her last year of school…"

…

Ichigo climbed out of his car, pulling his jacket closed and turning to take in his new surroundings. Junrinan was much smaller than Karakura Town; every house had a big front yard and a lot of space between their neighbours. The shops were all cute family-owned stores and there was a lot of greenery. A large forest stood to Ichigo's left and he could hear the gurgling sound of a running stream nearby. It really was a beautiful town; there were no buildings over three stories and no roads with more than one lane each way. Ichigo was surprised it had its own hospital, but since all the surrounding towns were even more rural, he supposed this was probably the biggest town in the area.

He followed Rangiku across the road towards the address Toshiro had given them before he left. A small cottage style house stood alone at the end of the street. The garden looked like it was normally very well cared for but had been neglected for a few weeks; the bitter cold of late November not helping any. As they began to ascend the few steps onto the front porch, Ichigo caught a glance of a telescope poking out of the top-most window and knew instantly that was Toshiro's bedroom. He was kind of excited actually, to see where his young roommate lived; he just wished it was under better circumstances.

They knocked on the front door and a frazzled Izuru answered.

"Thank god you're here," He whispered, like he was afraid of being heard, "Come in, come in."

Ichigo stepped under the threshold and it the main room of the house. On his left was a living room complete with a timeworn couch and an old pale-pink chair pointing towards an ancient television set. A traditional dining area stood to his right; a low table surrounded with cushions for kneeling while they ate, and a small kitchen sat at the back of the room. It had a small island bench in front of it and three stools underneath. Behind the dining table was a fireplace; fire already lit and doing a superb job at warming the house, Ichigo shrugged off his jacket instantly.

The Hitsugaya's were by no means rich, but Ichigo didn't think he'd ever been in a more homely house. There were framed photographs everywhere; on the walls, the coffee table, and the mantle above the fireplace. He could see old artworks pinned on the door of the fridge along with various awards and certificates. There were a number of trophies on the mantelpiece too and Ichigo couldn't wait to start looking through them. They'd mostly be Toshiro's, he thought, given the prodigy was so damn good at everything.

"Toshiro still at the hospital?" Rangiku asked, slipping off her scarf and jacket.

"Yeah," Izuru answered, "Did you drive past it on your way in?"

They nodded. The hospital looked quite large compared with the rest of the town. They'd almost stopped in before coming here but Rangiku suggested they check in with Izuru and drop off their bags so they could spend longer at the hospital if Toshiro wanted to stay all day. Ichigo didn't mind; the hospital was within walking distance of Granny's house anyway.

"He left early this morning," Izuru informed them, "He and Momo had a huge fight."

"What happened?" Rangiku asked, sending Ichigo a side glance.

"I don't know, like I said, they spent all last night arguing too, just over stupid, little things," Izuru began, looking sketchily at the stairs leading to the second floor of the house, "I came down for breakfast and they were screaming at each other. I don't think I've ever seen them so angry before, especially Momo. She threw her phone at him."

"What?" Ichigo and Rangiku gasped simultaneously.

"Yeah, Hitsugaya dodged it, of course, but then he picked it up and threw it into the fire. He stormed out straight after that, and Momo started screaming at me for not standing up for her. She's been in her room all day and won't talk to me."

Ichigo frowned. Toshiro and Momo's relationship was already on thin ice, the stress of losing Granny must be pushing it over the edge. It was probably worse that Toshiro didn't have anyone around to calm him; maybe with Ichigo and Rangiku here, the cousins won't fight so much.

"Maybe we should head to the hospital," Ichigo suggested to Rangiku, "Check he is okay, and visit Granny."

She nodded, rising to her feet and picking up her jacket.

"I'll see if I can get Momo over there this afternoon," Izuru said, nodding to himself, "She'll regret it if she doesn't get to say goodbye."

…

With the help of a friendly nurse, Rangiku and Ichigo found Granny's hospital room. It was a small, private room with bright white walls and ugly mustard coloured curtains. The artificial light overhead was almost too bright to be legal and gave Ichigo's skin an awfully yellow tinge. Toshiro was there, sitting at his grandmother's bedside and reading a book aloud. His voice was calm and soothing; any jitters Ichigo might have felt about visiting a dying woman instantly faded. It was just Toshiro and his voice.

And Rangiku. He had forgotten she was there until she elbowed him in the back and nudged him through the doorway.

They made their way cautiously over to the lone bed. Granny looked small and frail the first time Ichigo had met her, and now she was smaller and frailer. She looked like a piece of old paper; her skin an off-white colour and almost transparent, wrinkled like some had scrunched her up and then tried to flatten her back out. He could see the veins under her skin. If it wasn't for the ventilation mask where Ichigo could see her breaths going in and out, he'd have thought she was already dead.

"What are you guys doing here?" Toshiro frowned, noticing them enter, "I thought I told you to stay, Ichigo."

"You told me to stay and submit your assignments," Ichigo countered, loving that Toshiro now used his first name, "I did that and now I'm here."

"Like we were going to let you go through this alone," Rangiku leant down to kiss Toshiro on the forehead before pulling herself up a chair.

Ichigo followed suit, before turning his gaze back on the patient, "How's Granny doing?"

"Not well," Toshiro grimaced, "The seizure has really deteriorated her condition. She took a few minutes to recognize Momo last night, and had no idea who Izuru was despite meeting him three or four times in the last two years."

"And you?"

"She knew me," Toshiro gave a half smile, "But she thought I was still in elementary school. I haven't been in elementary school since I was eight."

"Fucking prodigy," Ichigo grumbled softly – as most Japanese kids were twelve when they moved on to middle school – and earnt himself a dead arm from his roommate.

"She remembered you though, Ichigo," Toshiro continued, a light pink dusting his cheeks, "How, I'll never know but she got excited when I mentioned your name and she asked whether you liked her cookies."

"The best cookies ever," Ichigo grinned remembering the birthday cookies she had baked him way back in July; he was ecstatic that she remembered him, "I must have left a good first impression, then."

"You were hungover and smelt like bourbon," Toshiro said, voice deadpan as ever.

Ichigo continued to smirk as Toshiro then informed Rangiku that Granny did, in fact, remember her too, but only as 'the girl with the really big boobs'. Rangiku was oddly satisfied with that information and went on a long tirade about how Granny must have remembered her for her 'beautiful looks' and her 'hot body'.

"Anyway, her memory comes and goes," Toshiro continued, "She sleeps a lot and is always tired when she's awake. She likes to hear familiar voices."

"Was that why you were reading the book out loud just now?" Ichigo asked, nodding at the book in Toshiro's hands.

"Yeah, I ran out of things to tell her, so I grabbed this from the children's ward," He answered, holding up the book for them to see, " _Peter Pan_ was the first book I can remember her reading to me. I thought it was appropriate."

 _It'd be the last book she'd remember him reading to her._ The words were left unsaid, but they hung over their heads anyway.

"She's always telling me to be more like Peter Pan," The corners of Toshiro's mouth twitched upwards as he continued, "She didn't want me to grow up so fast."

Toshiro gave a light chuckle and then Rangiku joined in. It rapidly escalated and soon the three of them were laughing liked they'd heard the funniest joke in the world. Rangiku snorted when she laughed too hard and that set them off even more; who knew the self-proclaimed – quote – "sexiest woman alive" sounded like a pig when she thought something was exceptionally funny? Ichigo wanted to hear Toshiro's laugh – expecting it to be deep like his voice and his regular chuckle – but the boy's laugh was silent. His face was laughing and his eyes spilled tears of laughter but no sound was heard until he sucked in a deep breath. For some reason, Ichigo loved it. Seeing the normally tightly wound genius laughing so hard he was silent and clutching his stomach as he struggled to breathe was _beautiful_.

The afternoon rolled on, Rangiku eventually went off to the hospital cafeteria to see what she could round up in the way of lunch and coffees. Ichigo tried to subtly drag his chair closer to Toshiro's but the prodigy just ended up telling him to 'move closer if you want to, Idiot'.

"And how are you doing?" Ichigo asked his crush seriously, taking his hand in his and giving it a soft squeeze.

The mood of the afternoon had been somewhat bittersweet. They had laughed and joked, and spent a lot of time ganging up on Rangiku, but under all that, Granny was still dying and Toshiro was still suffering. Granny didn't look like she was going to last much longer at all. The atmosphere in the room was instantly drained when Toshiro's eyes started to cloud over.

"I don't know," He admitted, "I don't want to lose her, but I know there is no way around it. She's in so much pain too; I don't want her to suffer any longer."

Ichigo ran his thumb over the baby-soft knuckles of his roommate, "I bet she was glad to see you this weekend."

Toshiro nodded, "She's lived a little longer than they predicted; they said three months but it's closer to four now. I spoke to her home-care nurse this morning, and apparently Granny never stops talking about me and Momo."

"She must love you very much," Ichigo murmured softly, "To hang on so long."

Toshiro nodded slowly, and Ichigo thought he might cry, but instead he flipped open his book to a page with a folded down corner, took a breath and said:

"I'm glad you came, Ichigo."

…

Momo and Izuru arrived at the hospital as the sun ducked behind the mountains and began its' descent below the horizon. Ichigo, Toshiro and Rangiku left to give them some space and stretch their legs. Since Granny's home was only a short walk away, they decided to head home for an hour or so. Toshiro headed straight for the kitchen and began preparing dinner for later, while Ichigo and Rangiku collected their bags from the living room and trudged up the stairs to Toshiro's room to set up their beds.

Toshiro's bedroom was so much more interesting than his dorm room. Ichigo recalled the time he got caught snooping through Toshiro's desk which held a few personal items, but his proper bedroom was much more personalised. You could tell he loved space; with two different telescopes in the room – a smaller, more portable one like the one he had at school, and a larger one which was already set up and poking out the window – educational posters of planets and galaxies stuck upon the walls along with glow-in-the-dark star stickers and even a bed spread with little cartoon astronauts and aliens on it.

Rangiku chuckled when she saw them, "I bet Granny bought these."

It was a small room, but luckily he only had a single bed, so they could easily fit two single futons on the floor beside it. With most of the floor space now occupied, Ichigo hopped from mattress to mattress, excited to see what more he could learn about his young roommate. There was a dresser with several trophies sitting on top of it. Awards for first place in pretty much everything; academic, sports, arts, music, the list went on. Ichigo's eyes bulged when he found one for 'National Junior Gymnastics Competition 2012 - First Place: Toshiro Hitsugaya', and then he found another one and another one and another one. That year he had competed in four events and came first in all of them; vault, parallel bars, high bar and rings. _Fucking prodigy._

"He used to be a gymnast?" Ichigo asked Rangiku breathlessly, out of surprise or the fact he was suddenly a little turned on he didn't know.

"Oh that's right!" Rangiku squealed, hopping over to look at the trophies, "Yes, he told me about that. He did it through middle school but quit before high school because he didn't want to give them anymore reasons to bully him. He was ten."

"Did he like it?" Ichigo asked, frowning, "Gymnastics, I mean?"

Rangiku shrugged, "Yes and no, I think. He liked that it was so disciplined and he could spend time perfecting his technique, but he didn't really like the whole world of Gymnastics, you know? The coaches want them to train all day and the mum's are crazy when it comes to competition, but Toshiro just wanted to go to school. He liked gymnastics, but he loves science."

"He really does, doesn't he?" Ichigo grinned to himself, recalling all the times he'd asked Toshiro about his studies, starting with that night they spent looking at Saturn on the roof of the dorm building. Those already stunning teal eyes lit up with passion were a level of breathtaking that no one else could comprehend.

Continuing his exploration through the tiny bedroom, Ichigo found two graduation caps; one from middle school and one from high school. He found a large stack of science magazines and an old brochure from Karakura Town University.

"If you're quite done snooping," A deep voice drawled from the doorway, and Ichigo turned to see Toshiro half glaring-half smirking, "I'm heading back to see Granny before visiting hours are over if you want to come."

 _I'm going to say goodbye because we don't know if she'll make it through the night._

Again, the unsung words lingered, and sobered Ichigo right up.

…

Granny was awake when they got there. Ichigo saw the way her eyes lit up when her grandson entered the room, the way her hollow cheekbones rose up into a crooked smile underneath her ventilation mask. Ichigo and Rangiku found seats and brought them over to sit themselves beside Momo and Izuru, and Toshiro climbed on to the bed sit beside the patient, immediately clasping his grandmother's closest hand in both of his. Ichigo was painfully reminded of how close Toshiro was to Granny and how close he was to losing her forever.

"Look Granny, Ichigo and Rangiku came to see you," Toshiro told her, putting on a brave face and resting his head on her shoulder as he gestured to his friends.

Ichigo could see the effects of the seizure clearly; the trembling hands, the occasional twitch in her muscles, the tired expression. Granny looked weak, like she hadn't eaten in a month. She must have accepted her defeat; her time was fast approaching and she knew it. Although once a terminal form of cancer like hers spreads into the brain, there is very little anyone can do, especially since she was too old and too frail to handle many forms of treatment.

Shakily, she pulled down the ventilation mask from her face.

"My cookies…" She croaked, her voice was barely audible and her words a little slurred, Ichigo leant forward to hear better, "Did you eat-eat t-them, Ich-go?"

"Yes, Granny," Ichigo beamed, "They were delicious, thank you so much. I shared them with my friends like you said, and they loved them too!"

Izuru instantly nodded his agreement, "They were the best I've ever had."

Granny smiled back, bringing the mask back up to her mouth, taking a few deep breaths and then pulling it down again. She turned slowly to Rangiku.

"You look after my b-boy, Ran," She coughed and struggled to regain her breath. Toshiro's expression faltered behind her as he rubbed her back soothingly and guided the ventilation mask back to her face.

"Of course, Granny." Rangiku looked like she was doing her best not to cry as she patted Granny's hand, which Toshiro had just released, "I'll do anything for him, you know that."

Granny squeezed Rangiku's hand as much as she possibly could in her state, seemingly happy with the answer. She took several more deep breaths into her mask, her other hand returning back to Toshiro's grasp.

"You too, Ichi –cough– Ichigo."

"I will," Ichigo promised, and he would, with all his heart.

As the end of visiting hours loomed closer, Ichigo, Rangiku and Izuru found themselves saying their last goodbyes, and exiting the room to give the grandchildren time for a private farewell. They waited outside in the front courtyard, the night cold with approaching winter and the stars out. Toshiro had once told him that the stars were much more visible here than Karakura Town and he wasn't lying. There had to be millions up there tonight. Soon, the heavens would be getting a new star, and she'd shine brighter over Junrinan than anywhere else.

It was close to half an hour later when Momo and Toshiro came out. Ichigo was happy to see that they were holding hands, their morning argument long forgotten. Once they caught up to them, Momo threw herself into Izuru's awaiting arms, tears streaming down her face. Toshiro released her hand and continued walking, noticeably avoiding eye contact with all of them. Ichigo and Rangiku shared a look; it was a private moment and they'd leave him to it for now.

One by one, they ambled back to the house in silence. A cold wind tore through the trees around them, and dead leaves crunched under their shoes as they walked. Lights were on in the homes of the other Junrinan residents they passed, each house with a television on, or music, or the sounds of a family laughing and chatting happily around the dinner table; all completely oblivious to the five college students trudging back to an empty house, the owner of which would never return to her home.

…

 **My heart hurt writing this.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	14. Junrinan (Part Two)

**I promise that this story will get happier, but this chapter isn't where it happens, soz xx**

…

Chapter 14: Junrinan (Part Two)

Ichigo awoke the following morning, staring up into a mobile of the solar system that he hadn't noticed the night before as the ceiling was actually quite high. It looked homemade, the Sun hanging in the centre from almost invisible fishing wire and the various planets hanging around it. There was a crisp, light breeze coming through the open gap in Toshiro's bedroom window which had the mobile spinning slowly, the planets rotating the sun in perfect harmony.

Rangiku was still asleep and spread across both hers and Ichigo's futons, while Ichigo found himself half on the floor. He sat up to find Toshiro's bed vacant; the early-rising prodigy probably already up and having his morning mug of green tea. With a grimace, Ichigo wondered if the hospital had called already to tell them if Granny had passed overnight or whether she'd pulled through to today; visiting hours opened in just under an hour, maybe they'd be lucky enough to see the sick woman once again.

Pulling on some socks, Ichigo padded down the stairs and new instantly when he saw Toshiro's empty expression that the hospital had, in fact, called, and the news hadn't been good. He found his way around the kitchen quickly, and prepared two cups of tea before taking them over to Toshiro who was sitting by the unlit and ash-filled fireplace; a sombre sight for a sombre mood.

"Here," Ichigo said, pushing the hot tea into the boy's hands. Toshiro took it with a quiet 'thanks' and sipped on it despite it still being burning hot.

Ichigo's eyes swept over the boy quickly. He looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep last night; his skin more pale than normal, dark lines ran underneath his eyes and his hands trembled a little as he raised his tea to his lips.

"The hospital called," The prodigy said slowly after a minute or so, "She had another seizure last night. She's in a coma. She can't breathe on her own at all anymore..."

"Life support," Ichigo finished for him. They weren't up to it in class yet, but he had seen it before. His mother had been on life support.

Toshiro nodded slowly, "The doctor said her mind is most likely gone. She won't wake up."

"They want you to turn it off," Ichigo sighed, remembering when his dad had tried to explain to him about what that would mean. Ichigo was eight; he didn't understand why they would ever turn it off if it kept his mother alive. He understood now, of course, that being brain dead and having a machine to keep you breathing was not living at all.

"That's actually for Momo's mother to decide," Toshiro said calmly, "She will be arriving sometime this afternoon, I believe. They're flying in from the States as we speak."

Ichigo nodded. If Momo's mother was Granny's daughter, it'd make sense that she would have the final say over Granny's health if Granny was no longer capable of making the decision. He didn't think Toshiro would want that responsibility anyway; Ichigo certainly wouldn't.

"Are you okay?" He asked, staring hard at Toshiro, he wanted to see every emotion that crossed that beautiful face.

Toshiro's face remained as impassive as it had the first time they'd met. Ichigo recognised the signs; Toshiro was pulling back again. The boy in question shrugged.

"She's gone," He said, voice devoid of emotion, "Turning a machine off makes no difference now. She's not coming back."

"At least she isn't in pain anymore," Ichigo put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Not for the first time, Toshiro flinched at the contact, but Ichigo removed his hand instantly like he'd been stung. Toshiro hadn't done that in weeks now – months, really – and Ichigo had hoped they were passed it; they had kissed for crying out loud!

"I'm sorry," Toshiro whispered, realising what he'd done.

"It's okay," Ichigo lied, "Don't worry about it."

Toshiro let out a frustrated sigh, but Ichigo wasn't sure if that irritation was aimed at him or Toshiro himself, or maybe he was just releasing some emotion now that the moment he'd be dreading had finally come; Granny was, for all intents and purposes, _dead_.

"I need to go wake Momo, and tell her what's happening," Toshiro muttered, getting to his feet, "Thanks for the tea."

…

Toshiro disappeared sometime before lunch, but Rangiku didn't seem as worried as Ichigo felt.

"He's probably just walking around town, Ichigo," She waved dismissively, "Or gone back to the hospital. He's just lost his grandmother; I think he wants some breathing space right now."

Ichigo sighed; she was probably right. Although the last time he couldn't handle something properly, he went and got himself totally wasted and almost ended up in bed with Kusaka. Ichigo just wished Toshiro could turn to him at times like this. Sure, Toshiro was much more open than he used to be around Ichigo but he still wouldn't come to him when tragedy hits. It left him feeling anxious; Ichigo had been so sure less than two days ago that Toshiro would end up deciding that he wanted to be with him, but now Ichigo was questioning everything. Maybe it was just the pain that was making him draw back? Ichigo could only hope that Toshiro would warm back up to him soon. To his merit, Toshiro hadn't minded the hand holding in the hospital yesterday afternoon, so maybe all wasn't lost.

Momo's parents arrived in the afternoon and Toshiro was still conspicuously absent. Momo's mother was a perfect physical combination of Momo and Granny, like if the three of them stood in a line, it would look like a timeline of one woman's life. She had the same big, brown eyes and dark straight hair, also pulled into a bun as both her mother and daughter often wore theirs.

Momo was straight in her mother's arms, crying onto her sleeve, while her father stood back quietly, a sad expression on his face. Slowly, they detached themselves and came into the house, sending their suitcases up to Granny's bedroom where they would be staying. Izuru was nervous; he had only ever met the Hinamori's on Skype, since this was their first time back on Japanese soil in three years. Momo had been to America a few times though, usually over the Spring break between academic years.

The Hinamori's instantly adored Izuru; Momo's mother took him into a tight embrace and pronounced him 'the son they'd never had', and Momo's father gave him a silent nod of approval and a tight hand shake. Ichigo found himself standing awkwardly beside Rangiku as they introduced themselves.

"Oh, my dears, are you Momo's friends from college?" Mrs Hinamori asked, shaking their hands vigorously.

"Yes, we are," Ichigo nodded, "And Toshiro's too. He's my roommate, actually, and Rangiku's best friend."

Mrs Hinamori stalled a little in shaking his hand. She instantly let him go, as if she had only just realised she'd been doing it for too long now.

"Oh. Oh yes, I forgot the boy was in university now," She frowned.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. He went to say something more on the topic of the woman's nephew but Rangiku cut across him quickly.

"Yes, he's doing very well too," She said with a confident smile, "Topping all his subjects, in fact. Plus, he's still doing karate and soccer, as well as practically running a small business."

Rangiku's boasting was a regular thing Ichigo often endured, but he'd never heard her sound so proud of Toshiro. If the white-haired prodigy had been here for that, Ichigo was certain that he'd be blushing scarlet right now. He was quite sad to be missing it, to be honest.

Mrs Hinamori smiled, although her smile seemed to be lacking much happiness, "Good for him."

There was a beat of silence that was awkward in a way Ichigo couldn't understand. Something was off with the way Momo's mother spoke about Toshiro.

"And where is the boy now?"

"He should be here in a minute," Rangiku answered and Ichigo gave her a look to see if she was telling the truth to which she responded with a sincere nod, "He was at the hospital. I texted him to let him know that you had arrived, and he said he'd come straight home."

Right on cue, Toshiro entered through the front door, stopping abruptly in the entrance. His stance was awfully rigid as he observed his aunt and uncle.

"Aunt Hana, Uncle Hisao," He greeted, giving a short, but formal bow to his aunt and uncle respectively, "I trust you had a safe journey."

The whole situation was weird, Ichigo decided. First there was Mrs Hinamori's obvious stiffness when Toshiro had been brought into the conversation, and then there was the formal bow Toshiro gave them. It was more formal than one should use for family members, even if they were your elders. It was closer to how you'd bow for the University President than you would for your aunt and uncle.

He threw a questioning look at Rangiku. She nodded in understanding, and mouthed the words, "I'll explain later."

…

Ichigo found himself sitting on the steps of the front porch, sipping on soup Toshiro had made for dinner. It was a creamy pumpkin soup that he'd made from scratch. It was freaking delicious too, and Ichigo wasn't a big soup man. It was raining, and Ichigo had wandered outside to sit under the tin roof covering the porch, the rain drops creating a blissfully peaceful rhythm that had him relaxed in no time. He gazed into the forest across the road; it's tall, dark trees swaying in the wind.

The three Hinamori's had gone off to the hospital to make their final goodbyes and to turn off Granny's life support. Izuru had puttered back up to Momo's room to take a nap, saying rain makes him drowsy. Rangiku had agreed, sauntering off upstairs to take her own siesta. Toshiro was aggressively cleaning the oven the last Ichigo had seen him, and by the look on his face, Ichigo thought better than to interrupt. The boy genius could come to him if he wanted to talk; Ichigo wouldn't push him today, even if he did think it was odd that Toshiro had decided not to accompany his cousin and her parents to the hospital.

 _No, he has said his goodbye; he doesn't want to do it again._

Ichigo finished his soup, but the bowl had long since gone cold in this late autumn chill, and his fingers had almost gone numb. He was about to head back inside when the front door clicked open and Toshiro ambled out. The prodigy was silent as he dropped down on to the step beside Ichigo – their arms and thighs almost touching – and there he sat, staring out at the dark forest. Ichigo could see his roommate's breath as he exhaled.

"After her husband died, Granny was pretty lonely, so she used to visit her friends – the Shiba's – every Sunday night for the better part of a year," Toshiro informed him, his voice soft and Ichigo had to strain to hear it over the rain, "To get there, she had to walk through that forest."

Ichigo spared a glance at the aforementioned forest; it didn't seem like the friendliest of places. Curious as to where this story was going, he urged his young roommate on.

"Wasn't it dangerous?" He asked, "In the forest?"

"Not as dangerous as you'd think," Toshiro replied, his head cocking to the side as he scrutinized the woods, "Nothing really bad lives in there, and most of the animals hibernate over the winter anyway."

Ichigo remained silent, as Toshiro paused, seemingly mulling over his next words. He could feel that the white-haired male was going to tell him something serious; something that he was anxious about sharing. The nineteen year old leaned closer in anticipation.

"Well it was winter – early February, actually – when Granny was walking home from the Shiba's place, and she thought she heard something deeper in the forest," He continued eventually, "So, naturally, Granny decided to walk further into the trees to look for whatever it was making that sound."

"As one does," Ichigo commented dryly; if he knew anything at all about Granny, it was that she was very brave, "This sounds like a horror story waiting to happen."

Toshiro chuckled, his mouth turning up at the corners, and Ichigo felt himself flush at being able to make the boy smile today of all days.

"So what was the sound?" Ichigo prompted him to continue, feeling distinctively better than he had all day, "Did she find out what was making it?"

"Yeah, she did," Toshiro nodded, his small smile faltering, "It was me."

Ichigo's jaw dropped in shock; wherever he thought this story was going, this was not it. Toshiro grimaced and nodded at the strawberry's surprised expression.

"She heard a baby crying, and found me lying in the snow in nothing but a towel," He continued, his eye's focusing in and out as he talked, "I was about seven or eight weeks old – according to the doctors – she took me to the hospital and apparently I almost died of hypothermia."

Ichigo's head spun with this new information. None of it made sense at all; how does a newborn get out to the snow? Not for the first time, Ichigo suddenly wondered what had happened to Toshiro parents. As far as Rangiku had told him, Toshiro simply didn't have any, but obviously he would have had to have had parents at some point, otherwise he couldn't have been born. It wasn't the first time he thought about Toshiro's parentage, but it was the first time he found himself questioning whether or not Granny was his biological grandmother. He had just assumed…

"Police were involved," Toshiro went on, breaking Ichigo from his rapid thoughts, "They saw no trace of an accident nearby, there were no missing child reports matching my description, no medical records at any hospital in Japan that could have been mine… In the end, they ruled it as abandonment and attempted murder. They never found my parents."

Ichigo's heart had plummeted. He knew Toshiro had abandonment issues; that had been clear long ago, but he never would have guessed that it was his own parents who had caused it all. _'People leave.'_ It had been such a simple sentence, but it had dripped with secrets, neglect and unresolved trauma. Ichigo had been stupid not to follow up on that sooner. _But then again,_ he thought, _he had to build the trust first._

"They wanted to put me in foster care," Toshiro murmured, "But Granny practically demanded to keep me. And she did. I've been her ward ever since."

Not having the slightest clue what to say in response, Ichigo tried again to put his arm around the boy's shoulders. Unlike this morning, Toshiro sunk into his side, and began to nervously pull at the cords of his hoodie.

"I've never told anyone," He whispered, "Rangiku knows because Momo told her. I was so embarrassed, we'd only just met."

So many things now made sense. Toshiro's abandonment issues, his dramatically different looks to everyone in his family, Rangiku's fierce protectiveness… The list went on.

"Why did you tell me?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask.

"I trust you."

Three small words. Those were the three little words that Ichigo had been working tirelessly for eight months to hear. He thought he'd tear up right then and there for a moment, but he didn't. This moment was still about Toshiro, and he needed to focus on that. He tightened his arm over Toshiro's small frame.

"No matter what happens between us, Toshiro," Ichigo spoke up, "Whatever you decide for us, I want you to know that I'm not going to leave; I'm not going to stop being your friend."

Toshiro nodded, and mumbled something that Ichigo thought might have been a thank you. They sat in silence a little longer; the light of dusk rapidly faded and the relentless rain didn't falter. It got colder by the minute. Ichigo stared deep into the forest, trying to comprehend how someone could leave their newborn son in the snow. There must have been a reason; perhaps they were in some sort of trouble, or addicted to drugs, or too poor to care for a child… Well, actually it didn't matter why, because if they had cared at all they could have given their baby away safely – to a family, to a church, to a police station – but they had decided to leave their son in an empty forest in winter. There was no way Toshiro could have survived if Granny hadn't accidently stumbled across him.

Toshiro eventually removed himself from under Ichigo's arm. The orange-haired male didn't mind though, he was lucky to get as long as he had and flinch free too.

"I'm scared, Ichigo," Toshiro ran a hand through his hair anxiously, "I don't want to go into foster care, and there's no way Momo's parents would agree to take me. Not that I'd go with them, I don't want to move overseas."

"Why wouldn't they take you?" Ichigo frowned.

"They hate me, they always have," He answered bitterly, kicking a small pebble off the step below them, "They never approved of Granny taking me in; they thought I was just a replacement for her husband, and that somehow Granny would love Momo less if she had a second grandchild."

Suddenly, a whole new list of things made sense, most involving the interactions he'd seen this afternoon.

"I didn't really want to go to the hospital tonight, but I felt I should go… For Granny, you know"

Ichigo nodded, not liking where this was going.

"Well, Aunt Hana said that it would be better if it was just family there, and that's why she though it was more appropriate that I didn't go."

"But you are family!" Ichigo exclaimed, "You're still Granny's grandson whether they approve or not!"

" _Oh no, dear, I meant just 'immediate family',"_ Toshiro's voice was a scary imitation of his aunt.

Ichigo felt all his muscles tense up in anger. How dare she?! Even if she didn't want to think of Toshiro as family, she certainly should have respected Granny's view. It was supposed to be about the elderly woman and yet, Mrs Hinamori was making it all about herself. He could hardly believe she was the one who raised Momo; sweet, caring little Momo. Momo considered Toshiro family, she'd never hurt Toshiro. _Well, not intentionally_ , Ichigo mused, having since learnt about the tension between the two cousins and Momo's obvious ignorance to it all.

Ichigo sat up a little straighter; he'd suddenly had a bad thought.

"Has Momo ever used it against you?" He asked the boy beside him, "Ever said you weren't really her cousin?"

The boy hesitated just a second too long; Ichigo had his answer.

"Just once," Toshiro mumbled, confirming Ichigo's assumption, "Yesterday morning. That was the fight we had."

"When she threw her phone at you, so you put it in the fire?"

Toshiro groaned, "I'll have to get her a new one. She's using mine until we get back to school; there aren't any Apple stores around here."

Upon Ichigo's request, Toshiro told him the details of the fight. About how he had been irritated that she spent all morning on her phone while all he could think about was Granny. He had made a snide remark about her constant phone usage, and went a little too far when he suggested that she barely seemed to care Granny was dying, to which Momo bit back with "At least I'm her real family." A screaming match began and eventually Momo threw her phone at him, screaming "Fine then, take it if you care so much!" and Toshiro had instantly retorted with "Good, you won't be needing it today," and proceeded to throw it into the back of the fireplace.

The two boys sat in silence as Ichigo let the story sink in. This was all so fucked; family – and Toshiro _was_ family – shouldn't treat each other like that. He decided then, that if he ever heard Momo or her parents make any suggestions that Toshiro wasn't Granny's grandson, he would most certainly stick up for the small white-haired boy. Rangiku would back him up, even if Toshiro himself wasn't prepared to put up a fight.

Toshiro rose up, preparing to go inside. He looked at Ichigo with his piercing teal eyes.

"I'm going to have an early night," He stated with a sigh, "The funeral director is coming tomorrow, and I expect Child Services won't be far behind."

"Rangiku wants to be your guardian," Ichigo informed him, hoping to relieve his roommate of some stress.

"I know," Toshiro admitted, his eyes flicking up to the roof and something told Ichigo that he was not entirely happy about that, "Thank you, Ichigo."

"For what?"

"Everything."

With that, Toshiro turned on his heel and vanished inside the house.

…

Ichigo found that, no matter how hard he tried, he could not sleep that night. He had so many thoughts spinning around his head, it felt like he'd consumed a bucket of coffee as a pre-bed snack. He checked his phone; it was almost 4am, and he hadn't slept a wink.

Toshiro and Rangiku were both asleep on either side of him. Toshiro had been down since Ichigo had returned to the room the second he heard the Hinamori's trudging up the front steps. He wasn't prepared to face them tonight; there was no way he could look them in the eye and make small talk after everything he'd heard that evening. Rangiku had been up when he entered the room, watching a movie on her laptop. Ichigo wanted to discuss the new developments with her, but now didn't feel like the right time, especially not with Toshiro sleeping right beside them. Eventually, she too went to sleep, leaving Ichigo alone in his thoughts.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo raised his head, looking over at Toshiro's bed where the prodigy had just called his name. The bed was too high up; he couldn't see the boy from his spot on the ground.

"What's up?" He whispered back.

"Ichigo!" came the reply; sounding distinctly more panicked than before.

Ichigo sat up hastily, rolling up onto his knees and kneeling beside his roommate's bed. The white-haired genius was lying on his side facing Ichigo; eyes clenched shut with his mouth and brow in a deep set frown.

"Toshiro?" Ichigo called softly, reaching out to run his hand through those ivory locks.

The boy seemed to relax at his touch; his face visibly easing into a neutral expression. Ichigo felt the corners of his mouth tug up as he continued his administrations. Toshiro rolled onto his back, muttering something that Ichigo didn't quite catch. Apparently he was still asleep, and Ichigo allowed himself a small chuckle at the boy's behaviour.

He continued running his fingers through Toshiro's soft white spikes when a hand shot out and gipped his wrist hard. Ichigo yelped and almost jumped back in shock; he had to admire the quick reflexes of his roommate and the strength of his grip even in his sleep.

"Don't go," The fourteen year old mumbled, pulling Ichigo's arm towards him.

"I won't," Ichigo promised, although he doubted the boy could actually hear him, "I promised you I wouldn't."

"Okay," Toshiro responded, seemingly happy with the response, his grip beginning to lax a little.

Ichigo worked his wrist out of Toshiro's loosened grip and sat watching the boy a little longer. Occasionally his eyes would flicker under their lids; a tell-tale sign of REM sleep. Ichigo briefly wondered if sleep-talking was normal for Toshiro or whether this was a one-time thing that was occurring – probably due to the stress of the last few days. He didn't get time to ponder it long because Toshiro's body suddenly jerked, his head snapping to the side and he awoke with a gasp.

"Toshiro?" Ichigo frowned in concern, "Are you okay?"

Toshiro reeled back in shock at finding Ichigo so close to his face. He sighed in relief as he took in Ichigo's appearance.

"Ichigo," He breathed heavily, "What are you doing?"

"I couldn't sleep," Ichigo admitted truthfully, "And you started talking to me; I thought you were awake but you obviously weren't."

"Oh," Toshiro mumbled, reaching past Ichigo to his bedside table and pulled back his bottle of water, "Sorry."

"Don't be," Ichigo said, a small smile playing across his face.

Ichigo watched as Toshiro took a few gulps of his water before returning the bottle to its' spot. Ichigo leant back, preparing to lay back down in on his own futon.

"Wait," Toshiro called, his hand instantly on Ichigo's bicep and fisting into is T-shirt.

"What?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

"Would you…um, w-would you st-stay with me?" Toshiro stuttered out and Ichigo was sure he was blushing even if it was too dark to see.

Ichigo's mouth spread into a wide grin, "Of course."

Toshiro shuffled closer to the wall and Ichigo slid under the covers beside him. He laid back, and made himself comfortable. It was only a single bed, but Toshiro was tiny, so it wasn't too cramped and Ichigo was rather enjoying the closeness. When Toshiro snuggled up to his side, he had to angle his hips away before he began to enjoy this too much. Ichigo breathed deeply, his eyes closed as he concentrated on the smell of rain and the steady rhythm it continued to make on the roof above them. Toshiro's head found its way onto Ichigo's chest, and the nineteen year old's arm automatically wound around his waist. It felt right, it felt natural.

Nothing was said; it didn't need to be. Ichigo felt Toshiro's muscles relax against him one by one, and soon the prodigy was breathing deep and even, asleep within seconds of sharing his bed. Ichigo himself began to wind down; his mind focusing entirely on the boy at his side. It seemed that he'd finally broken down almost every barrier in his way; Toshiro now called him by his first name, let Ichigo touch him without flinching, didn't mind the occasional hand holding and now they were cuddling in bed. The only thing left was for Toshiro to tell him he wanted them to be together so Ichigo could kiss him properly; not another three second peck, but a proper, loving kiss.

…

 **For Mosco, who begged for a sleep-talk scene having read one of my earlier stories, I hope this pleases you 3**

 **It will be back to the once a week updates now, sending my love xxx**


	15. Mai

**Thanks again to LethanWolf, AKA Mosco, for beta-ing some of the scenes in this chapter (I had a mid-week writing funk that she helped me out of). Check out her works for some Ichihitsu goodness xxx**

…

Chapter 15: Mai

It was the day before the funeral when Toshiro received a surprise visit from Ichigo's father and his two younger sisters. He barely had time to register his astonishment when he was suddenly engulfed in a crushing group hug. It was funny; he had seen the Kurosaki family participating in the large family embrace numerous times at his soccer matches, and Toshiro often found himself longing to know what it felt like to be a part of it, expecting it to be warm and comforting, but now he knew, and it had to admit he didn't imagine it to be so…suffocating. With Isshin's chest smothering his face, Karin's arm around his neck and Yuzu's tight grip around his waist, he could breathe about as well as he could in Rangiku's deadly breasts. That is to say, _not bloody much._

"We were so sorry to hear about your grandmother, Toshiro," Yuzu said gently as the three of them pulled back and Toshiro did his best to look like he could breathe properly.

"Oh, um, thanks," Toshiro murmured, his lungs finally cooperating, and ignoring the slight sting of yet another condolence message, "What are you all doing here?"

"We came up for the funeral," Karin answered, "Ichigo told us it was tomorrow."

Toshiro looked at her questioningly; they had come all the way from Karakura Town to attend Granny's funeral? Why? As far as he was aware, they'd only met her once when she had dropped him off for school at the end of the autumn break last year, and stayed to watch his soccer match that morning.

"You're a part of this family," Isshin shrugged, answering his unspoken questions, "And Kurosaki's stick together."

Toshiro frowned, ignoring the rising heat in his cheeks; how exactly was he a part of this family? _Oh dear God, what had Ichigo told them?!_

The devil himself suddenly burst out the front door of Granny's cottage, his orange-hair brighter in the rare sunshine they were receiving this afternoon, his skin looking that tiny bit tanner. Toshiro had to look away quickly before his blush got worse; Toshiro never used to be so affected by the strawberry's looks, but since that damn short kiss, sustaining eye contact was getting a lot harder. The nineteen year old pulled his sisters into a quick hug and punched his father in the gut, grinning madly.

"You made it!" He exclaimed, "Traffic not too bad then?"

Isshin, doubled over and clutching his stomach in pain, grumbled his agreement, but it was barely audible as he was clearly winded from Ichigo's attack. Karin smirked, while Yuzu patted her father soothingly on the back.

"Oh no, Yuzu," Ichigo put on an obviously fake pout and a teasing pitch into his voice, "No Jinta today?"

"He's coming up tomorrow with his brother and Chad!" The blonde girl replied brightly, either oblivious or choosing to ignore her brother's sarcasm-laced inquiry.

"Wait, both Abarai's and Sado are coming here too?" Toshiro questioned, turning on Ichigo before he could respond to Yuzu's claim.

"Uh, yeah," The strawberry smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck, "And Rukia too, I believe. Shuuhei, Ikkaku and Yumichika wanted to come up as well but Shuuhei has a job interview and the couple has some important kendo thing or something…"

Toshiro stared at him blankly. Why were all Ichigo's friends coming up for Granny's funeral?

Ichigo interpreted his look immediately, "They're coming up for you and Momo. Believe it or not, Toshiro, but you've made a couple more friends this year than just me."

Toshiro frowned; how on Earth did that happen? _No, surely not_ , he thought, he doesn't make friends; they were just here for Momo. _Yes_ , he nodded to himself internally, _for Momo._ Jinta for him, maybe, but the rest for Momo. _Okay, much better._ That had been a close one; Toshiro Hitsugaya does not make friends.

An uncomfortable beat of silence passed and – not sure what else to do – Toshiro invited the Kurosaki's inside for some tea. Yuzu and Karin immediately declined, saying they wanted to explore the town a little before it gets dark, and Ichigo gave an exasperated sigh as he was suddenly dragged off to be their tour guide. Toshiro frowned at the mischievous flicker he'd seen briefly in both Kurosaki girls' eyes; they were up to something and that was never a good sign. Isshin was still recovering from Ichigo's sucker punch, and gasped that he wouldn't mind a tea.

Toshiro helped him inside and onto the couch, before hastily preparing the man a cup of tea. Rangiku was napping in his bedroom, Momo and Izuru were upstairs making a slideshow of Granny's old photographs for the funeral tomorrow, and her parents were out sorting some last minute details. Toshiro was having very little to do with the funeral, as per the request of his aunt, but he didn't mind too much, he had his own private plans to send Granny off. By the time he had returned to the couch, Isshin was almost back to normal. He took the tea gratefully and blew on it gently.

"Dr Kurosaki, I-"

"Isshin," the man corrected, "How many times do I have to ask you to call me that, Toshiro? Isshin is fine."

There was no way Toshiro was ever going to call him that.

"How are you holding up?" The black-haired father of three asked, looking deep into Toshiro's eyes. The fourteen year old had to supress a shudder; Ichigo got his soul-searching gaze from his father.

"Alright," Toshiro shrugged, only half-lying.

To be honest, he was glad that Granny was no longer in pain and could finally rest peacefully, but at the same time, Toshiro's world was much darker without her sunny presence and he wasn't sure how he'd ever get over losing her. They always say it gets easier, but Toshiro was starting to think it was all a lie; he certainly wasn't finding it any easier today. Isshin's knowing gaze swept over him, before he nodded, seemingly to himself.

"I've known you for two years now, Toshiro," He stated, sipping his tea and leaning back into the couch, "We first met when the girls brought you into the clinic with a grade two concussion, if I recall correctly."

"Karin kicked a soccer ball at my head," Toshiro recalled, his voice dry, "Or at least, that's what she told me. I can't remember it."

"Ahh yes," Isshin grimaced, "Unfortunately you weren't her first victim, just her favourite."

A beat of silence passed as Toshiro frowned.

Isshin cleared his throat, "Anyway, since then, I've gotten to know you very well, Kiddo. I coached yours and Karin's team last year, and I have seen you at every training session and game this year. Recently, you began staying for dinner on Thursdays to tutor the girls. Good job, by the way, Yuzu got her best maths result ever and I saw Karin reading a book last week that wasn't about soccer."

"Yes, I know," Toshiro's frown deepened, "She sent me a picture of herself reading it…"

He had only started tutoring the girls to distract himself from the whole Granny situation, but he was nevertheless glad that he'd made some progress with them. Admittedly, he did enjoy staying for dinner too, although it was more that Isshin practically begged him too, as a payment for helping his daughters. Toshiro didn't want to be paid; he felt he was benefitting from the distraction and company alone, but Ichigo's father insisted, and as always where Kurosaki's were involved, Toshiro gave in and somehow ended up liking it.

Isshin chucked, "The point I'm trying to make is that I know that you're a good kid, you have a big heart, and you've become like a second son to me."

Toshiro felt his cheeks flush; he'd never been called someone's son before and he wasn't sure how to react. He had known Isshin Kurosaki for a couple of years now through Karin and soccer, but he couldn't believe that the middle-aged man would say such a kind thing to him, to actually think of him as almost-family.

"Ichigo has a lot of nice things to say about you too, you know," Isshin continued despite Toshiro's rapidly reddening face, "I understand how he feels about you. If you weren't so mature, I'd find it a little weird given the age difference, but you are who you are, so I'm not worried."

Was this a weird version of 'the talk'? Toshiro suddenly felt very uncomfortable; he certainly was not open to having this conversation with his potential-boyfriend's father. Luckily, it took a different turn.

"I heard you'll be moving in with your friend?" Isshin asked, "The pretty one, with the big b-"

"No!" Toshiro cut in quickly, "No, I'm not going to live with Rangiku. I haven't been able to tell her yet, and I know she wants to become my guardian, but I can't let her do that. She has dreams; I won't allow her to give them up for me."

"Noble. Smart," Isshin commented, "But where does that leave you? Not foster care, I hope…"

Toshiro shrugged, but he knew it was the only option ahead of him now. Child Services had already called twice and were planning to drop by in the morning before the funeral. They had given him until then to find a guardian or allow them to place him in care. They wanted to have all the paperwork processed by Monday, apparently. It wasn't giving him the greatest confidence for how this system worked.

"Toshiro, I want to become your legal guardian," Isshin announced suddenly, ripping Toshiro harshly from his thoughts.

"You want to what?" Toshiro inhaled sharply, staring into the deep brown eyes of his roommate's father.

"I want to become your legal guardian," the father of three repeated firmly, "Please Toshiro; I can't watch you go into state care."

"Dr Kurosaki-"

"Isshin."

"I can't let you do that," Toshiro once again ignored the name request, "I won't be anyone's burden."

Isshin sighed, "I want to tell you a story, Toshiro. You know Ichigo's friend, Chad, right?"

Toshiro nodded.

"Well, Chad is a lot like you, you know. He is kind, and gentle, and has a heart too big for his body. He doesn't like to open up much either. He had no parents, and lived with his Grandfather, but – like you – he lost his legal guardian while he was a teenager, and he had no other option but to go into foster care. I know the system has its' good parts, but Chad only ever experience the bad. Last year, I had him on my couch two or three nights a week, and the worst was when I found him half-conscious at the clinic door. I offered to take him in too, but he refused. He ended up losing most of his friends other than Ichigo, had to repeat a grade at school and only just scraped into college because he worked so hard. He turned twenty this year, thank God, and now he doesn't need any guardians."

Toshiro didn't know that about Chad. The large Mexican was so shy and gentle; Toshiro would never have guessed he'd lived such a tough life. His respect for the burly man rose, but Toshiro felt his own fears escalating as well. What if he did come across one of those terrible foster families that Chad did? Toshiro was looking at just over five years in the system; he'd go through plenty of different families in that time.

"You and Chad are very similar in nature," Isshin continued, "He can box, you're a black belt, but neither of you would defend yourselves in that situation. Toshiro, I don't want to find you like I found Chad. Let me take you in."

"I couldn't do that to you," Toshiro whispered, but his resolve was very rapidly deteriorating. He didn't want to go into a system where kids fell through the cracks and got hurt.

"Yes, you can," Isshin stared at him, almost pleadingly, and Toshiro saw guilt and sadness flicker in those deep brown eyes. Perhaps they were lingering emotions from all the times he'd tried to get Chad to move in, "I'm a father, I'm a grown adult, and I have a stable job and business, as well as my own home. Finances are covered through Welfare. Give me one good reason why not."

The prodigy suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He could feel a prickle in the back of his eyes. This was all so overwhelming. Of course, Isshin had a point; he was perfectly capable of taking him in, and he wouldn't have to give up anything like Rangiku would. Toshiro entertained the idea of moving in to the Kurosaki house. He could probably handle that, he decided; he was more comfortable around them than he was his own aunt and uncle and certainly more than random (potentially violent) strangers he'd be with under the foster care system. Ichigo and the twins would be there too...

"The girls," Toshiro muttered, "And Ichigo; what do they think?"

"It was Karin's idea," Isshin grinned a little, "And of course, Yuzu jumped on board straight away. I haven't spoken to Ichigo yet; I didn't want to upset him if you said no."

"You think he would want me to move in?" Toshiro asked.

"He wants what's best for you," Isshin answered, "He wants you to be safe and happy. That's what we all want for you."

"But Ichigo and I-" Toshiro blushed again, "We, uh, well, we're-"

"I know," cut in Isshin, "He's told me that he wants to be with you and you're still thinking about it. That's fine, that's your decision. It won't change anything. If you get together, that's great! If you don't, Ichigo still wants to be your friend; he'll still want you to stay under my care."

"What if we got together and then broke up?"

"Then we'd cross that bridge if we came to it," Isshin said firmly, "But as long as you don't hurt him, I'll be happy to have you as my ward."

"I'd never hurt him," Toshiro promised.

"Good," Isshin nodded, "So, what do you say? Do I get to make up the spare room for you?"

…

Toshiro laid back on his bed, throwing an old tennis ball up and catching it again before repeating the process over and over. Having too many thoughts whizzing around in his mind, Toshiro decided to ignore them all, mentally going blank, concentrating only on the fluorescent ball.

Ichigo was out having dinner with his family, who were staying at the small inn across town. They had invited him, of course, but Toshiro had declined to stay home and begin sorting some of his stuff out. Isshin had given him a slight nod, and they silently agreed; Isshin would tell Ichigo at dinner, and Toshiro would tackle Rangiku at Granny's. Instead, he decided to hide up in his room, also skipping dinner downstairs with everyone else, and neither talked to Rangiku nor began to organise his belongings.

If Rangiku came upstairs to find him, Toshiro would probably talk to her about the situation, but for the meantime, he was happy to switch off, playing with his ratty tennis ball and listening to the weird indie music that was emanating out of Momo's room down the hall. He was beginning to feel sleepy too, and he wouldn't have minded if Ichigo was here; he wanted to use his chest as a pillow again. Another thing he needed to think about, but it was further down the priority list for now.

Eventually, Rangiku did come to find him. She woke him up, because apparently he had fallen asleep at some point.

"Here, Tosh," She climbed up onto his bed and handed him a small bowl of chicken and rice, "I thought you might be hungry."

Taking the bowl into his hands, Toshiro ate one bit of dry chicken before placing the bowl down in his lap. He could sense from the way Rangiku was looking at him that she was up here for a serious chat; she was probably going to tell him about her plans to become his guardian and he was going to have to tell her 'no'. He doubted she was going to be happy about it, and he didn't have any tissues in his room.

"So, Toshiro, I know that you don't really want to think about it, but the fact is you need a new guardian now…" She began. Here it comes.

"Rangiku, I need to stop you right now," Toshiro grimaced, shifting to face her and taking her hands in his, "I know what you want to do and I am so grateful that you would do that for me…"

"I'd do anything for you."

"I know you would, you're my best friend," Toshiro gave her a half smile. He paused briefly, dreading the next few moments, "But I can't let you do this."

Rangiku's smile dropped off her face, "What? No, Toshiro, you have to! I'm not letting you go into foster care!"

Toshiro shook his head quickly, "I'm not, don't worry. Ichigo's father wants to take me in."

"Ichigo's father?" Rangiku frowned, "Tosh, are you sure you'd be comfortable there? You don't know them as well."

"I know that," Toshiro nodded, "But I do feel comfortable, more so than I would with you."

Rangiku looked like she'd been slapped across the face, her eyes filling with hurt, and she ripped his hands out of his grasp. Toshiro knew he had to quickly explain himself.

"Please let me finish, Ran," He murmured, placing his rice on the window sill and crawling over to her. He put his arms around her shoulders and buried his face into her neck, "I love you more than anything; you've always been good to me, no matter how shit I used to treat you, and I couldn't live with myself if I burdened you like that."

"You're not a burden," her voice was laced with oncoming tears; "I want to be your guardian."

"You want to travel," Toshiro counted softly, "You want to start your own business and have a life, and so you should. You're twenty-one, Rangiku, you need to live and have fun, and you can't do that with a teenage charge."

"We could have fun together," She choked, and Toshiro knew she knew that she was losing this argument.

"Of course, we can," Toshiro mumbled, tightening his arms, "But as friends, not as guardian and ward."

Rangiku hugged him back. Toshiro smiled against her.

"But you know I don't have fun, Ran," He grinned, "I study, and I make you study."

"Oh God," Rangiku replied, and Toshiro could hear the humour coming through her voice, "Ichigo's dad can keep you then."

Toshiro chuckled and then Rangiku poked him in the sides, "I think I know why you want to move into Ichigo's! Tosh, you sly dog!"

"Fuck off."

It felt good to hear her giggle again. Pulling back, Toshiro pulled his sleeve over his thumb and wiped away the few tears that had fallen from her eyes. He lent forward and kissed her cheek. It was the first time he'd ever done that to her, but he wanted her to know that, despite all the joking, he only wanted to do what was best for both of them. He didn't want her to resent him later in life when she looked back at all the things she could have done if she wasn't responsible for a teenage boy.

"You're so good to me, Rangiku," Toshiro whispered, "I can't be responsible for you missing out on your dreams. I don't want it to ever come between us."

Eventually she nodded her agreement. They hugged once again, before Rangiku laid down and put her head in his lap.

Toshiro picked back up his dinner and ate a little more. Well that was one issue out of the way. Now all he had to do was talk to Ichigo about it, meet with Child Services, pack up all his stuff and move into the Kurosaki home. While he was going about all of that, he still had to see off his Grandmother, decide if it's worth the risk to date Ichigo now that they were going to live together fulltime and somehow keep on top of all his studies. Piece of cake, right?

Toshiro sighed; he was definitely going to have a mental breakdown before the age of fifteen, and even that was fast approaching.

…

Toshiro looked around the funeral home's front courtyard. It was absolutely packed with people. Just about every resident of Junrinan was there – which wasn't entirely a surprise since Granny had always been an active member of the community, and most of the kids in town called her 'Aunty Mai' – as well as several of her old friends from out of town. As Ichigo had informed him, Toshiro spotted the Abarai brothers standing together with both Chad and Rukia. Ichigo had noticed them too, and Toshiro felt the strawberry grip his wrist and drag him over there.

"Hey Hitsugaya!" Renji greeted him with a firm hand shake and a pat on the back, "How are you doing?"

"Oh, um, I'm okay," Toshiro answered, trying not to let his internal frown show on his face. He still found it a little weird that they had driven all the way here for a funeral of someone they'd never met.

Jinta gave him what he was sure was supposed to be a reassuring smile, and a tentative fist bump. Rukia actually hugged him, which really threw Toshiro off since he really hadn't had much to do with the girl other than the odd times she was studying with Ichigo or had joined them in the dining hall. Toshiro still avoided the dining hall at all costs, but on the odd occasion he was there, Ichigo would always sit next to him and that often lead all of Ichigo's friends to follow. Toshiro then felt a big hand squeeze his shoulder gently and he looked up to see the giant form of Chad staring down at him, compassion filling his one visible eye. It was the first time Toshiro had seen him since finding out about the tall Mexican's rough childhood. Toshiro nodded to him his silent thanks, to which the Latino nodded back. Isshin was right; they were a lot alike, if only in the way they both struggled to openly convey emotions.

"Um, thanks for coming," Toshiro eventually told them, "Momo will be happy to see you all."

"Who?" asked Jinta.

"His cousin, you moron," Renji snapped, "The one that's dating my friend, Izuru."

"Oh, the 'friend' that's ignoring you now?" Jinta grinned, nudging his brother in the side and then quickly jumping out the way of his retaliation swipe with a cheeky chuckle.

"Wait, what's this?" Ichigo asked, intervening quickly before the Abarai's could get into another of their ridiculous brawls, "You and Izuru are fighting?"

"No, we're not fighting," Renji glared at his brother, "It's just that I hardly ever see him now. He's always with Momo, and I'm really glad that he's happy, but he never wants to hang out anymore. I just feel a bit cut, that's all, since we used to be so close."

"You and me both," Toshiro muttered, not meaning to be heard, but Renji sniggered and chucked an arm around his shoulders.

"Why do we put up with them, eh?" the redhead joked.

"Besides, we didn't come up here for Momo," Rukia chimed in, leaning into Renji's other side, "I mean, we will go see her too, but when we decided to drive up, we were thinking of you, Toshiro."

"Me?" Toshiro asked incredulously; he was too shocked to even correct the dark haired girl on the use of his first name.

Ichigo leant over and whispered in Toshiro's ear teasingly, "Told ya. You've got friends now."

Toshiro's eyes widen in disbelief and thinly veiled horror, and everyone except Chad laughed at his expression.

"Yep," Renji clapped his back, and Toshiro almost tripped over from the force, "You're stuck with us now."

Rukia nodded enthusiastically, her eyes scarily similar to Rangiku's when she was scheming, and Chad almost smiled. Jinta was distracted when Yuzu and Karin joined the circle, followed closely by their father and Rangiku who were having a friendly bicker over who would make the 'coolest guardian'.

"I'd give him alcohol and porn."

"I'll give him free doctor's appointments."

"I'd let him stay up all night."

"I'll give him super radical dad advice! That's what you kids say these days, right? 'Super radical'? Or is it just 'sup rad' now?"

And that lead to Karin stomping hard on her father's foot.

Toshiro was more than glad when the funeral director called everyone inside to take their seats.

The funeral service was quite lovely, and Toshiro had to admit his aunt had done a wonderful job organising it. Granny's coffin was a pearly white, and covered in her favourite flowers; white Lillies. Aunt Hana gave the eulogy, and unsurprisingly made the effort of mentioning that Toshiro was "not my mother's blood, but she loved him anyway."

Out of the corner of his eye, Toshiro saw his new friends exchange surprised looks and Ichigo subtly grabbed his hand.

"That was a bit cold," he whispered, his jaw clenched and Toshiro could almost hear his teeth grinding.

"At least I got mentioned," Toshiro gave a half shrug, "And she publicly admitted that Granny loved me. I'm calling it a win."

Momo's slideshow was played next over two of Granny's favourite songs. Toshiro did feature much more heavily in the recent photographs and he could tell Momo probably felt bad about the dig she'd made at him all those days ago. It was a nice presentation; it started with black and white photos from Granny's youth, pictures of her wedding and of Aunt Hana when she was a baby. There were family vacation shots, and eventually newer photos were shown. Granny holding baby Momo, Granny playing with a toddler Toshiro, working up to photograph of Granny standing between her two graduating grandchildren – Toshiro had smirked at the image, noticing that Aizen, Momo's high school boyfriend and Toshiro's old bully, had been cropped out – and the final picture was of Christmas day, three years ago; Granny in the middle, her arms around Toshiro – whom Aunt Hana had not wanted to be in the picture but Granny shut her down quickly – Momo holding her pet cat, Yoruichi, on their left, Hana on the right and Momo's father standing behind them all.

Granny's friend, another old lady named Haru, closed the service by reading a poem she had written about her. It was simply named 'Mai' and it was the hardest part of the ceremony for Toshiro. He kept it together though, as the poem talked about an old woman who was young at heart, who cared for absolutely everyone she met and whose soul was the purest of gold. Haru had nailed that poem, perfectly describing everything Toshiro saw in his grandmother. He'd always liked Haru; she was almost like a second grandmother, or a great-grandmother since she'd celebrated her 100th birthday last year. She used to be a geisha back before World War Two, but these days, she had about three teeth and needed a frame to walk. Toshiro dreaded the day he'd have to attend her funeral too.

The funeral wrapped up, and everyone got back in their cars to attend the wake, which was to be held at Granny's cottage. Toshiro couldn't see where they were going to put everyone, but maybe if they didn't mind the cold, they could spread out onto the front lawn.

Arriving back at the house, Toshiro quickly jumped the stairs to his bedroom and grabbed his supplies. He had planned to make his own private farewell, since he hadn't expected to make any appearance in Granny's funeral with his aunt in charge, and he wanted to get it done before everyone arrived to the wake. He jumped back down the stairs and slipped out the front door, calling back to anyone who was listening, "I'll be right back."

He ran down towards the forest and stopped just beyond the tree line at the narrow stream which flowed right through the middle of the forest. No one had followed him, and he was glad. As much as he liked having Ichigo and Rangiku around, he wanted to do this alone. It was just him and Granny now, like it had always been.

Toshiro spread his supplies out in front of him. He had made seven paper lanterns in Granny's favourite colours; light mauve, silver and periwinkle blue, and used a thin wire to hold their shape. He got out some tea light candles, lit them, placed them inside the lanterns and one by one, he put them in the stream to float. It had been raining the last four days, so there was no risk of fire if one of them accidently came in contact with a fallen tree branch or something – the wood would be soaked through – besides, those tiny candles only had about thirty minutes of life in them. He had chosen the number seven as it was Granny's lucky number, as well as her birthday, July seven, or 07/07.

The stream was drifting quite slowly today, the rain being flushed through already, and Toshiro stood back as he watched his little lanterns travelling gracefully away from him.

"Goodbye Granny," He whispered to her, "I love you."

…

"Aren't you cold out here?"

Broken from his retrieve, Toshiro looked over his shoulder to see his impeccably handsome roommate strolling towards him, his hands dug deep into his trouser pockets.

"Not really," Toshiro murmured when the medical science student was close enough to hear him, "I've never really minded the cold."

Toshiro was standing in Granny's backyard atop a small boulder that, when Ichigo stopped beside him, left them at equal height. It was just out of sight, so that anyone who might have been looking out a window from Granny's house would not see him. With his back in the general direction of the house, the pond he and Momo used to skate on lay in front of him. The still water would be undoubtedly too cold to touch today, and the first signs of winter were making themselves known in the form of frost on the grass. Red, brown and orange leaves littered the yard; it was one of Toshiro's favourite times of the year actually, second only to the middle of winter when everything was blanketed in thick snow.

He had come out for some fresh air, as Granny's cottage was currently full of people attending her wake, all gushing about the amazing life she'd lived and what a generous soul she was. He appreciated that so many people had come to celebrate her life, but at the same time, it was rather suffocating to be in that house right now.

"How are you feeling?" Ichigo asked, circling round so that the two males were now face to face.

"Good," Toshiro replied honestly, and felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards, "Granny is at peace now, and I think I am too."

Ichigo smiled back. It was the same breath-taking smile Toshiro first saw that night on the roof when they were observing Saturn; that beautiful, ridiculously perfect smile that showed the dimples in his cheeks. It was rather infectious, apparently, because Toshiro suddenly felt himself mirroring his roommate's happy expression. _Damn Strawberry._

"I'm glad," Ichigo whispered, giving his head a slight nod, "I know it will be a big adjustment, moving into my dad's, but I'll be there, and it's only for the school breaks…"

Toshiro nodded, "It is going to be a big change."

Two social workers from Child Services had come by that morning, and seemed quite pleased that Toshiro had found an appropriate guardian. Isshin had come by to sign through the paperwork and discuss the situation. It took about an hour, but by the end, the social workers were happy with the solution. They said they'd have the documents processed over the weekend, and Isshin was now the official guardian of Toshiro and responsible for him until the age of majority, AKA until his twentieth birthday, under Japanese law.

"Dad is driving home early tomorrow with the girls, so you'll come with me and I'm happy to leave whenever you're ready tomorrow," Ichigo continued, "You'll probably want to say goodbye to the place."

"There isn't much to say goodbye to," Toshiro replied softly, "Granny will always be with me, and the rest is all just material crap. The house means nothing if she's not there, and neither does the town. I'll miss her, but not much else."

Toshiro didn't mean it in a negative way, he just meant that he didn't love replaceable objects such as a car, or a room, or a house. A house is a house. Granny made her house a home, and Toshiro loved that, but without Granny, it was just an empty shell. He had a lot of good memories in that place, but he loved the memories, not the building itself. He could have moved fifty times over and not given a damn as long as she was there with him. They could have lived in a cave, and he'd care the same for it as he did for the cottage. At the end of the day, it was just a piece of old architecture.

Ichigo must have understood because he only nodded.

"Do you want help packing?" The orange-haired male asked, "We could do it tonight after the wake."

"Yeah," Toshiro nodded, "Thanks, Ichigo."

The taller boy grabbed his hand and gave it a light squeeze, "Why don't we head back inside. It's freezing out here, and I think things are starting to wrap up in there now anyway."

Ichigo made to tug Toshiro gently off the boulder and towards the house, but the prodigy quickly tugged him back. Toshiro had something he wanted to say, and something else he really wanted to do.

"Wait," Toshiro tugged Ichigo closer until they were so close they were almost touching.

"What's up?" Ichigo swallowed, his eyes flickering to Toshiro's lips and back to his eyes. Toshiro smirked.

"You've been a really good friend to be since the day we met," Toshiro spoke softly, "I've spent a lot of time calling you an idiot and – while I take none of it back and will probably call you an idiot many more times in the future – I really appreciate everything you done for me."

Toshiro could feel himself blushing, and was rather embarrassed by it. Ichigo looked surprised, his eyebrows shooting up into his hair line, but Toshiro couldn't stop now. He needed to get out the truth while he was feeling confident with himself.

"I want to be with you too," he breathed.

Toshiro gripped the front of Ichigo's jacket and pulled the strawberry towards him, firmly locking their lips together. He held the kiss a few seconds, waiting for Ichigo to respond; the nineteen year old apparently in a bit of shock. Eventually he responded, sinking into the kiss and Toshiro followed him enthusiastically. It was a soft sort of kiss; one that Toshiro could pour all his emotions into and prove to Ichigo that this wasn't just a comfort thing like it had been with Kusaka – this was real, and Toshiro had no doubtful thoughts. He really liked Ichigo, he wanted to be with the tall strawberry, and he was done denying it and making excuses. Granny wouldn't have wanted him to spend his life alone and closed off to the world.

Ichigo, recovering from his astonishment and accepting his win, began to take control of the kiss. Toshiro felt his roommate's hands – warm from being in his front pockets – cup his cheeks and soon open lips were moving against his. Toshiro let Ichigo in and happily accepted the tongue that followed. The kiss was full of electricity, but it never heated up. This wasn't a hormone-crazed, lust-filled kiss; this was a loving kiss, a caring kiss, a real first kiss.

Toshiro's arms eventually found themselves around Ichigo's warm neck, and he felt two hands slip from his face down his sides, before resting on his hipbones. He could no longer feel the cold or hear the wind in the trees; the only thing he was aware of was Ichigo and how warm he felt against the well-built body, even with all those layers of clothes between them.

Toshiro eventually pulled back for air, and was more than pleased to see Ichigo flushed in the face and his pupils dilating, although Toshiro probably didn't look much better himself, if not worse.

"That was…" Ichigo breathed, "So, so… So incredible."

Toshiro found himself blushing a little as he ducked his head. Those deep brown eyes were conveying an emotion Toshiro had never seen before; no one had ever looked at him like that. It certainly wasn't the way Kusaka looked at him, which was pure lust through and through.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked, hooking a finger under Toshiro's chin and forcing him to meet his eyes.

"Positive," Toshiro replied, his voice firm but gentle, "Definitely."

Ichigo grinned, and Toshiro's heart might have melted a little more. If he thought back to April and how much he had changed in the last eight months because of an idiotic, happy-go-lucky fool, he was sure that nobody could have ever predicted it. Ichigo had been a landslide of destruction in crushing each and every barrier Toshiro could have possibly put between them

"But if you don't mind," Toshiro continued, his voice low, "I'd like to take it slow."

He was a little apprehensive about that bit of the deal though. He wasn't sure Ichigo would want to take it slow after all the waiting he'd already done, but Toshiro had realised with Kusaka that he was just not ready to be so physical yet. He trusted Ichigo, he really did, but he wanted to work up to the big stuff.

"Of course," Ichigo said, pecking Toshiro lightly on the lips, "I won't pressure you. We live together, so I understand you'll want your own space at times, and I'm okay with the other stuff too, I'd wait forever for you."

Toshiro blushed, and gave a small chuckle, "You're so corny."

"Guilty," Ichigo grinned.

Toshiro smiled again, hopping of the rock and grabbing Ichigo's hand on the way past. He tugged him back towards the house.

"Come on, Idiot."

…

"Are you ready to go?"

Toshiro glanced around his almost empty bedroom; all of the stuff he deemed worth keeping were packed in boxes and sitting in the back of Ichigo's car. Admittedly, it was more than he was expecting to take with him to his new residence; he was hoping just to get away with the essentials – some of his clothes (most were still at the dorm anyway), his big telescope and his books, but Ichigo insisted on taking every trophy and certificate in his name (which took up an entire box of their own), as well as anything the strawberry considered 'memorabilia', AKA graduation caps, old comic books and a variety of homemade mixtapes and board games. Instead of leaving with just one box and a big telescope, they were now leaving with three boxes and a big telescope. Thankfully, Toshiro had been able to talk Ichigo out of packing the astronaut bed spread and all the baby clothes Granny had kept.

"Yeah," Toshiro muttered; it felt weird knowing he'd never come back to his bedroom of almost fifteen years, but there was nothing to come back to, so it didn't matter.

The two boys headed down the stairs; Rangiku was already outside in the car. Izuru, Momo and her parents were sitting around the table eating a late breakfast. Ichigo plastered on what Toshiro identified immediately as a fake smile and took the last part of Toshiro's now disassembled telescope from his hands.

"I'll put this in the car," He said, and turned to Momo's parents, "Thank you for having me, Mr and Mrs Hinamori. It was a _pleasure_ to meet you."

"No problem, dear," Aunt Hana replied, her smile equally forced and, as usual, Uncle Hisao remained silent, "Any friend of Momo's is always welcome."

Ichigo looked like he wanted to say something else, so Toshiro gave him a quick shove towards the door.

With a mental sigh to himself, Toshiro turned towards his cousin, who was looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Guess I'll see you at school then, Momo," Toshiro nodded to her and then to Izuru, "Later, Kira."

"Where are you going?" Momo frowned.

"Ichigo's," Toshiro informed her; he hadn't discussed his guardianship issues with her – he hadn't really discussed anything with her this week, "His father is my new guardian."

"What?!" She rose out of her seat and came to stand in front of him.

"Where did you think I was going to go?" He replied evenly; surely she didn't think her parents were going to take him in?

"Well I just…" She murmured, appearing to be searching through her memories, "I forgot you'd need a new… Now that Granny is…"

"I know," Toshiro muttered; he loved Momo, but she had an uncanny ability to forget to think about other people amongst her own troubles.

"It's fine," He mumbled, hugging her quickly before she could get upset. She hugged him back a little too tightly, and with the closeness, he quickly whispered in her ear, "I'll get you that new phone when we get back."

He released her and ignored the slight shake of her head as she began to tear up again, and turned to face his aunt and uncle, if he could even still call them that. He imagined this would probably be the last time he ever saw them, since there would be no reason for him to return if they chose to keep the house and move back to Japan.

"Goodbye Hana, goodbye Hisao," He said; feeling no need to be so formal now that they were permanently severing ties.

Neither of them said anything in reply, although his uncle did give him a sort of nod that one might mistake as approval.

Toshiro didn't expect any better, so he turned away and walked out the front of Granny's door without a second glance.

Ichigo was waiting by the car, and Toshiro walked straight into his outstretched arms. He tipped his head back as the strawberry leant down to press their lips together briefly and both of them ignored Rangiku's squeal of delight.

"Come on," Toshiro murmured, pulling back, "Let's get out of here."

…

 **The Hinamori's are kind of like the Dursley's from Harry Potter.** _ **Hmmmmmm…**_

 **Bigger chapter today, guys, so thanks for making it to the end, please pop a review below if you have a spare minute, taa xx**


	16. A Good Day

**Mosco; thanks again for your live reactions; you're so cute. Happy birthday again!**

…

Chapter 16: A Good Day

Ichigo awoke on the twentieth of December in a cheerful mood. There now only five more sleeps until Christmas day, and it was the last day of school before the winter break, when students could be at home with their families over the holidays. The most important thing about this day, however, was that it was his boyfriend's birthday.

 _Boyfriend_.

Toshiro was his boyfriend. Ichigo just loved to say that, in his head and also out loud to anyone who would listen.

With a dopey smile on his face, Ichigo leapt out of bed, picking up his sloppily wrapped present and skipped next door to Toshiro's room. He opened the door and crept quietly up to the bed where his tiny boyfriend was still asleep. Ichigo took a second to glance at the clock; it was still early, he could afford another little lie down before breakfast.

Ichigo climbed onto the bed and slid under the covers. Toshiro always slept close to the wall, so Ichigo found it easy enough just to slide in from the opposite side. He snuggled up close to the young genius, whose body was very warm under the thick covers. Toshiro stirred, and teal irises eventually came out from their hiding spots. Like always, Toshiro was slow to start up, and Ichigo felt the boy tugging lightly on his shirt as he fidgeted.

"Ichi?"

"Yeah, it's just me, Tosh," Ichigo grinned, "Happy birthday, Babe."

"Hmmm?" Toshiro murmured, rolling into Ichigo's chest, looking for warmth.

Ichigo's arms wound around him instinctively, and he breathed into the top of Toshiro's snowy locks, taking in his refreshing minty scent. Toshiro had decided he wanted to be Ichigo almost three weeks ago now, at Granny's wake, and he had told Ichigo that he wanted to take things slow between them for now. The nineteen year old didn't mind. As much as he wanted to get physical with the boy he'd been fantasising about for months now, he knew that Toshiro wasn't entirely ready; the incident with Kusaka probably scaring him off sex for a while. Luckily, Ichigo was a patient guy, and if he could wait eight months to hear Toshiro say 'I trust you', than he could certainly wait for this.

At this point, his plan was to slowly ease Toshiro into it; maybe a make out session turns a little heavy, gradually they move up to hand stuff, eventually to oral sex, and by then Toshiro might be ready to go the full mile… But Ichigo was just happy to be able to call the aloof prodigy his boyfriend, and the fact that they often did make out in the privacy of the dorm was a big bonus.

With the whole 'going slow' thing in place, Ichigo also had to contend with the fact that they now lived together, both at school and at home. They were going to be together in the same house or dorm every night until the start of the next academic year in April, when they would probably be assigned new roommates. Ichigo was rather delighted by the fact, but he had to be weary that Toshiro may need to have his own space at times. This was why they still slept in their own bedrooms, despite how easy it would be for them to share a bed each night. At home, they would have no choice; Ichigo's father had been happy for them when they announced they were together, but he had made a few rules, the first of which was that they had to sleep in their own rooms. He didn't care what they got up to at school, but under his roof, they would sleep separately, which both boys thought was fair enough.

"Come on, Tosh," Ichigo whispered cheekily, "You're like an old computer that takes ten minutes to boot up every day."

"Fuck off," came the gruff reply; _Hmmm_ , Ichigo didn't remember computers being so grumpy.

Ichigo chuckled, and kissed the top of his boyfriend's head. A slightly more awake version of Toshiro tipped his head back to look up at Ichigo, and the taller male bent down to press their lips together. The now fifteen year old responded instantly, kissing Ichigo back slowly and deliberately.

"Happy birthday," Ichigo breathed, pulling back with one more peck on the lips.

"Is that today?" Toshiro grumbled, rolling onto his back and pulling Ichigo's arm to follow him.

"Yes," Ichigo murmured, leaning down to place a few chaste kisses on Toshiro's now exposed neck, "I have a present for you."

Toshiro frowned, and Ichigo kissed the creases in his forehead. According to Rangiku, the prodigy didn't really like to make a big deal of his birthday, but Ichigo had been raised in a family that loves celebrating birthdays. He wasn't going to push the boy too far, but there was no way his birthday was going to go unmentioned. Quickly reaching behind him, Ichigo grabbed the parcel, and handed it to Toshiro, the boy sitting up slightly to inspect it.

"Did you wrap this?" Toshiro raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the terribly wrapped package.

"Shhh," Ichigo pouted, "I'm good at hard, rectangular-shaped presents, but this was soft and awkwardly shaped and not everybody is a _fucking prodigy_."

The last two words were empathised with a rather whiny pitch in his voice. Toshiro rolled his eyes at Ichigo's antics, and muttered 'idiot' under his breath. The strawberry grinned.

"Just open it," Ichigo chuckled, kissing the boy on the head.

Toshiro huffed and drew himself into a proper sitting up position, taking the gift into his hands and gently unwrapping it. As Ichigo already suspected, the white-haired teen was one of those people who never ripped or crinkled the gift wrap, edging it off slowly and neatly folding it before they even looked at their present.

"A hoodie?" Toshiro asked, holding up the large item, "Isn't this yours?"

"Yes it was," Ichigo couldn't stop grinning, "And as my boyfriend, you'd probably just steal it and wear it for yourself. I'm saving you a step."

Toshiro smirked a little, "How considerate of you."

Ichigo chuckled and gave a half-shrug, "I think you'd look hot wearing my clothes."

"Pervert," Toshiro muttered, already putting on the old hoodie, "It's perfect, thank you."

Ichigo was right; Toshiro looked great in his clothes. It was a huge turn on actually, so he would have to be careful of that given they were still 'going slow'. The hoodie wasn't the only present he had ready to give to the young prodigy – _like he'd give his boyfriend just an old sweater for his birthday_ – but was planning to surprise him throughout the day with more gifts.

"You're welcome," Ichigo kissed the boy's nose, which was scrunched up in response, "But come on, out of bed, we're going down for breakfast; everyone wants to see you for your birthday."

"What do you mean 'everyone'?" Toshiro looked alarmed; Ichigo chuckled.

…

When they were dressed, Ichigo led Toshiro down to the dining hall for breakfast, pulling him over to where Rangiku and Chad were already eating. As soon as they sat down, Toshiro's head was being crushed in Rangiku's heavy chest.

"Happy birthday, Tosh!" she sung merrily, "The big one-five! Or the big Ichi-go if you prefer…"

"Hey!" Ichigo snapped, "My name doesn't mean 'one-five'-"

"Of course not," Renji's way-too-happy voice boomed behind him, "It means 'strawberry'."

"No, Pineapple," Ichigo ground his teeth as a grinning Renji and Shuuhei took their places at the table, "It means 'one who protects', okay!"

Rangiku giggled while Renji and Shuuhei sniggered none-too-discretely, and Ichigo even saw Chad break into a smile despite the amount of times he'd probably heard Ichigo have this argument with people. Ichigo huffed in mild annoyance.

"Rangiku!" he snapped, "Would you kindly not suffocate my boyfriend! I just got him!"

"Hmmm? Oh!" the strawberry blonde quickly released Toshiro who immediately slumped back and would have fallen off the bench seat he was sitting on if Ichigo hadn't caught him instantly and pulled him into his side. Toshiro was almost purple in the face and Ichigo glared at Rangiku.

"Shit, Rangiku," Shuuhei muttered as Toshiro gasped for air, "You actually might kill someone one day…"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Bad habit?"

Everyone at the table rolled their eyes. Ichigo rubbed Toshiro's back as the prodigy's breathing finally returned to normal, although he flinched whenever Rangiku made a sudden movement and her boobs bounced uncomfortably close to his face. Rukia dropped down beside Renji, greeting him with a kiss, to which Shuuhei said "why don't you greet us all like that, Rukia?" and earnt himself a dead arm. Ikkaku and Yumichika joined on too, bickering about whether 'mint' and 'aqua' were the same colour or not. Izuru plopped onto the end of the table last, passing a small package to Toshiro.

"It's from Momo," He said, "And me too, I suppose. She wanted me to give it to you today in case she doesn't get to see you…"

"Oh," Toshiro took the package into his hands, "Uh, tell her I said thanks…"

Slowly, Toshiro unwrapped the gift and Ichigo leant over to get a better look at it. It was a beanie; a turquoise one with ear flaps and a pompom on top. It would match the young genius' eyes perfectly, and make his hair seem an even brighter white. Lucky it was winter, so Ichigo probably wouldn't have to wait too long to see him wear it; he would look absolutely adorable in it.

"Speaking of presents," Rangiku chimed in, pushing a large gift box into Toshiro's hands, "Here you are, Tosh, I picked it myself."

Toshiro eyed the package suspiciously, "I'm not going to want to open this here, am I?"

"Nope," Ichigo whispered, remembering what Rangiku had told him vaguely off her plans.

Toshiro immediately set down the box, "I'll reserve my thank you until I know what's in it, Rangiku."

She pouted while everyone else at the table smirked, knowing exactly the type of stuff Rangiku would try and give to the boy.

Ichigo grinned as Toshiro was then presented with another gift that Renji, Rukia, Chad, Ikkaku, Yumichika and Shuuhei had all put in money for; a boxset of Marvel movies – Both Avengers films and the related films; Three Iron Man's, Three Captain America's (including the newest one), Two Thor's and The Incredible Hulk. Toshiro was almost completely speechless – after stuttering out a thank you – and Ichigo kissed him lightly on the cheek. He knew the fifteen year old was still getting used to the idea of having a big group of friends and also that he was uncomfortable with celebrating his birthday, but Ichigo was very pleased at how well he was handling everything.

Although the prodigy quickly shut down any plans they had to sing 'happy birthday' and immediately high-tailed it out of the dining hall before Ichigo could give him his second present. Maybe he'd thought too soon…

…

It was back up at the dorm, in Ichigo's bedroom, when he suddenly found himself doing his new favourite activity; making out with his boyfriend. It was the end of the day; classes were over and they were supposed to be organising their stuff to take back to Ichigo's for the winter break, but Ichigo figured they could hang out here a little longer to avoid the Friday afternoon/start of school holidays traffic which would undoubtedly triple their journey time home. He had just given Toshiro his third present of the day; an illustrated version of the first Harry Potter book. He'd managed to locate the boy at lunch and give him the second present, which was a new wallet since Toshiro didn't have one and was constantly losing money out of his pockets.

Toshiro loved the book, so much so that he jumped on Ichigo straight away, arms circling his neck and pressing their lips firmly together. That was how Ichigo was blessed with the current make out session they were having.

Settled above his white-haired partner, Ichigo's hands ran the length of Toshiro's small frame, while his tongue delved deep inside the birthday boy's mouth. Feeling confident, he snuck a hand under the prodigy's shirt and was rewarded with a sharp gasp as he brushed over his nipple. This was the heaviest make out session they'd had to date; Toshiro apparently letting the reigns loose a little bit. Ichigo didn't want to pressure him, but he was curious to see how far he could venture before Toshiro started to become uncomfortable – the strawberry would back off instantly, of course; he wouldn't push his luck, and he just wanted to know where they were at now on the getting physical scale.

Ichigo ripped his mouth away from Toshiro's, and immediately moved to the genius' jaw and neck. He tugged at the hem of the teen's shirt.

"Can I take this off?" Ichigo asked cautiously as he continued to press light kisses onto the boy's throat, and feeling for any tensing in his muscles but they remained relaxed.

"Only if I can take yours off too," Toshiro breathed, his hands already underneath Ichigo's shirt, tracing his well-sculpted abs.

Ichigo grinned; it was nice to know that Toshiro was as turned on as he was right now. He quickly placed a slow, soft kiss back on the prodigy's lips, before letting the younger male pull off Ichigo's shirt first, and then the strawberry slowly edged off Toshiro's own shirt.

"Wow…" Ichigo whispered; his eyes completely devouring his boyfriend's body.

He had seen Toshiro's chest once before – when he had helped Rangiku shower him after the whole Kusaka incident – but he hadn't been paying all that much attention; he'd been so caught up in the drama of it all, he'd failed to take in the sight in front of him. He was focused now, however, and took the time to learn every inch of the body underneath him. Toshiro had a small frame, but fuck was he ripped. He had a very well defined six pack and upper chest, as well as the slight beginnings of a developing V-line muscle over his hips. Though very thin, the future-astrophysicist was completely muscle and a hundred percent toned – even his narrow biceps were as hard as a rock. Ichigo had to bite back a moan; his boyfriend was so sexy. He shouldn't have been surprised really, with all the different sports – including gymnastics – the boy had done in the past and the ones he still did.

The nineteen year old almost felt subconscious about his own body until he saw the way Toshiro was looking at him.

Those teal eyes were dark with lust and desire, and Ichigo watched half-amused as the boy ran his delicate fingers over Ichigo's own abs. The strawberry was very glad for all those extra gym trips he'd made recently; his body wasn't as well-sculpted as Toshiro's but he was bigger, especially in the arms and pecks. His V was also much more defined, and was apparently Toshiro's favourite part of him; his small hands traced up and down the lines – it was somewhat ticklish but extremely erotic, especially the closer he got to Ichigo's lower regions.

"You're so…" Toshiro mumbled breathlessly, "Fucking hot."

"Says you," Ichigo murmured back, leaning down and sucking lightly at Toshiro's pulse, "You look like you've been carved by angels."

Toshiro moaned when Ichigo dove down to swirl his tongue around one of his hard nipples. He sucked harshly on the pink bud while tweaking the other with his free hand. The young prodigy arched into him and Ichigo almost had to pause; he was so horny now, and his arousal was becoming uncomfortable in his jeans. He was going to have to stop soon, before he could get too carried away, but how could he when his little boyfriend was making such delicious sounds below him?

"Let's have sex now," Toshiro said out of the blue and in between moans, and Ichigo pulled back in shock.

"I thought we were going slow?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow; it wasn't like Toshiro to change his mind so suddenly.

"Fuck going slow."

Ichigo frowned. He thought they would have at least made it into the New Year.

"Toshiro, look at me," Ichigo demanded, hooking a finger under his boyfriend's chin and guiding his eyes to him; brown locked with teal and Ichigo could see it clearly – lust, desire, and the tiniest bit of apprehension, "Can you honestly tell me you are ready to have sex right here and now?"

The tiniest of anxious flashes flickered in those beautiful eyes before Toshiro eventually whispered, "No…"

"I didn't think so," Ichigo smiled a little bit and pressed a sweet kiss to Toshiro's forehead, "I'm not ready either, you know."

"You're not?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow, "But you're not a virgin?"

Ichigo shrugged, "I slept with a girl one time back in high school, but I hated it. I was drunk, kind of a little grossed out and I didn't even finish. When we eventually do have sex, it will pretty much be my first time too… First time with another guy, anyway."

Toshiro sighed, and quietly ventured, "I'm worried about how much it's going to hurt."

"Yeah, I've heard it can be a little painful the first time," Ichigo sunk down to lay back beside Toshiro, the prodigy curling into his side, "But I'm not Kusaka, Toshiro, I'm not going to be rough with you unless you want it once we're more experienced. I won't complain if you want to stop at any point and I'm happy to wait as long as it takes for the both of us to be ready for it. That's the way sex should be, especially the first time; no alcohol, no rough moves, just us together trusting each other."

Toshiro's head was buried into Ichigo's neck when he eventually mumbled, "I only gave him a blowjob."

"I know."

"It still hurt."

"I would never do that to you," Ichigo whispered, kissing the crown of Toshiro's head, "Kusaka took advantage of you, and then he was rough. I'm not him."

"I know," Toshiro whispered, "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologise," Ichigo murmured, and Toshiro tilted his head back to look at him, "You didn't do anything wrong."

It was the first real conversation they'd had about the whole ordeal, and Ichigo was glad to get it out. He knew how embarrassed Toshiro had been and the guilt he still felt about, but for Ichigo, it had still hurt to think about it, so he hadn't addressed the issue earlier. He should have though; he should have told Toshiro to stop blaming himself for it, and explained that what happened with Kusaka was not the normal way to go about sex. Drunken sex and comfort sex were two very common (unfortunately) elements in the whole college experience and growing up, but Ichigo didn't want Toshiro to think that it was how things were supposed to happen, and he certainly didn't want him to blame himself for it when Kusaka was the one that should have stopped things.

"I'm never drinking again," Toshiro muttered.

Ichigo chuckled softly remembering all the times he'd told himself that. He pulled Toshiro closer and kissed him slowly. Similar to their first proper kiss at Granny's wake, this one was full of passion, care and trust. Ichigo would never let anything come between them; not Kusaka or any other boy, not alcohol and not prematurely rushing to have sex. They were taking things slow, after all.

…

After their earlier make out session, and a short spooning catnap that followed, Ichigo and Toshiro didn't arrive back home until after 7pm when the light of day had long since disappeared. As Ichigo pulled into the drive way, he turned to his stunning little boyfriend. Toshiro was already reading through his new book, despite probably knowing it word for word since he was five.

"Just a warning," Ichigo drawled, pulling up the hand brake and turning of the car's engine, "My family are big on birthdays, and I've asked them to tone it down but who knows how much they'll listen…"

Toshiro nodded but didn't say much else, unclipping his seatbelt and hopping out of the door.

They made their way inside the house, and Ichigo groaned when the first thing he saw was a large home-made banner that said 'Happy 15th Birthday, Toshiro!' and about twenty balloons scattered around the place.

Isshin greeted them first, bursting out of the living room and screaming "My boys! My boys!" Ichigo instinctively jumped out of the way as his father barrelled towards them but realised a second too late that the target had never been him. Toshiro was instantly pulled into Isshin's chest and hugged tightly.

"Happy birthday, my new ward!" He bellowed happily, "We're all so excited to celebrate! Come in, come in! Let's eat!"

Ichigo released an exasperated sigh as he followed his father into the dining room, Toshiro dragged along rather reluctantly behind him. The dinner table was already set and Karin had taken a seat. Isshin sat Toshiro down opposite her before taking his normal spot at the head of the table. Ichigo sat beside Toshiro, and upon noticing how dangerously expressionless his face had become, the nineteen year old found his partner's hand under the table and gave it a rough squeeze. He had a few good ideas about why the prodigy didn't like to celebrate his birthday, and the sudden onset of a new bunch of friends and a new family probably weren't helping any.

Yuzu burst out of the kitchen a few minutes later, carrying a large steaming dish she'd prepared for their dinner, and was soon plating everyone up like a doting mother. They ate through their meals, and Ichigo was glad that a lot of the conversation wasn't about Toshiro's birthday, giving the extra quiet prodigy some time to recover and adjust to his new life at the Kurosaki home. They had stayed the night after they left Junrinan but the whole thing felt like more of a sleep over; now he needed to actually face living here.

Eventually as the night wore on, the conversation did, of course, come back to Toshiro and his birthday.

"So Toshiro…" Isshin ventured, and Ichigo caught a serious look in his father's eyes and almost sighed in relief; his dad had taken his warning on board, "I know you don't like to make a big deal of your birthday, and trust me this is about as low key as we go…"

Ichigo saw Toshiro's mouth turn up at the corners.

"Yes, I know that," Toshiro murmured, "Especially after last year…"

Karin and Yuzu cracked up while Ichigo stared at them all blankly; sometimes he forgot about the prior connection his boyfriend had to his family.

"Dad and Yuzu turned up at our soccer training for his birthday last year," Karin explained quickly, "With a three-tiered cake, fourteen balloons and a whole heap of presents. Tosh almost went into cardiac arrest…"

"Wait – that was you!" Ichigo gasped as he turned to face Toshiro; he remembered helping Yuzu carry the giant cake to the car and praying for whoever's poor soul was going to receive that.

Toshiro nodded solemnly over Yuzu's giggles, "They sung 'happy birthday'… everyone on the team joined in and so did the other parents, I thought I was going to die of embarrassment."

"But you didn't!" Isshin sung, "You made it to fifteen and you still talk to us!"

Toshiro raised an eyebrow, "For now, perhaps…"

Ichigo almost choked on his water; Toshiro was smiling AND joking…with his boyfriend's father…on his birthday. The strawberry's surprise turned to a grin and he stretched an arm around Toshiro, pulling him a little closer. He was happy that the boy was beginning to melt down his walls around his family and maybe if they showed him how good his birthday could be, they'd be able to put more effort into celebrating it in the future years

"Hey, Dad?" Karin smirked a little too cheekily, "Next year we all get parties!"

"What?" Isshin sprayed his drink across the table, "What parties?"

"We get parties on our even birthdays, remember?" Karin continued, "Me, Yuzu and Tosh will be turning sixteen and Ichigo will be twenty! That's four birthday parties next year!"

"Three, actually," Isshin frowned, "You and Yuzu share one."

"We shared a womb for nine months, Dad," Karin whined, "Don't make us share our sweet sixteenths as well!"

"There's nothing sweet about you, Karin," Ichigo muttered behind his cup.

"And it's two parties, actually," Toshiro chimed, "I'm not going to have one."

"Can I have his then?" Karin bounced in her chair, "Yuzu can take ours."

That conversation went on for some time, as Karin continued to argue her case for separate birthday parties, and Isshin tried desperately to cull the number. Admittedly, it was a scary thought now that Ichigo knew Karin liked to drink; he certainly didn't want to deal with a whole party full of underage drinkers.

"We've gotten off topic, now," Isshin tried once again to change the topic, "Toshiro, as I was saying before, since we are being low key, Ichigo has made us promise not to make a cake or sing any birthday related songs…"

"Thank God," Toshiro murmured, and Ichigo reached down to kiss his hand.

"But," Isshin continued, "He didn't say anything about presents, so…"

Immediately there were three presents sitting on the table, all perfectly wrapped. Clearly Yuzu had been in charge of that. Toshiro sighed like he shouldn't have expected any less and, at their demands, opened his presents. They must have planned it, because Karin gave him a new soccer ball, Yuzu gave him new shin guards and Isshin gifted him with a new jersey of the Japanese national team. Toshiro said his thank you's and Ichigo's family got their hugs in, which really threw the prodigy off guard and Ichigo knew he had to move things along before they pushed the boy too far.

He nodded subtly to Yuzu who quickly ducked back inside the kitchen.

"Toshiro, I have one last present for you," He turned to the fifteen year old, and pulled both of his hands into his own, "I know that someone special couldn't be here this year, but I know they would have wanted you to have a good birthday."

Toshiro looked at him inquisitively, and Yuzu emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of cookies.

"No…" The young genius gasped, "They're not…"

"They are," Ichigo murmured, "Well, as close to the real things as we could get. Yuzu made them, but she followed the recipe Momo and I tracked down before we left Junrinan."

Toshiro stared down at the plate of Granny's famous birthday cookies, speechless and unmoving.

"Babe?" Ichigo called him back to reality, "You okay?"

Toshiro nodded very slowly before eventually dragging his eyes away from the biscuits and up to Yuzu, "Thank you."

He turned to Ichigo, and almost launched himself into the berry's arms, "Thank you so much."

"Try one, Tosh," Ichigo smiled, plucking a cookie from the plate and waving it near his mouth.

Toshiro took the cookie, and tentatively took a bite. He's face gave nothing away as he chewed slowly, all four Kurosaki's waiting breathlessly for a response. Eventually the boy swallowed, and glanced around the room at the frozen family, before his mouth stretched into the most honest and beautiful smile Ichigo had ever seen.

"It's like she's right here," He announced, taking another bite as Yuzu squealed in delight, and Ichigo threw his arms around the boy, dragging his boyfriend off his seat and into his own lap.

…

It was after 11pm when Ichigo slipped into the Toshiro's bedroom, formerly known as the spare room, and found the prodigy reading his new Harry Potter book under the dim light of his bedside table lamp. The boy was so caught up in the story, he hadn't seemed to notice Ichigo creep in; his eyes moving rapidly across the page from underneath his thick rimmed reading glasses.

"Which part are you up to?" Ichigo grinned, crossing the room and slipping into the bed beside him.

He was just coming to say good night, and have a quick cuddle before they had to separate into their own bedrooms. This had become a bit of a routine over the last few weeks, and was one of Ichigo's favourite times of the day.

"Harry's first quidditch match," Toshiro mumbled without looking up, his delicate fingers tracing over the pictures, "These illustrations are magnificent."

Ichigo laid down and snuggled closer to the boy, pressing a kiss to the birthday boy's hip as he sat up reading. Toshiro lifted his arms a little, allowing Ichigo to duck underneath and place his head in the prodigy's lap while he finished his chapter.

A few minutes past and Ichigo almost nodded off before Toshiro shifted a little, closing the book and putting it on the nightstand. Ichigo hummed when he felt those dainty fingers begin to thread through his hair.

"I've never liked my birthday," Toshiro murmured from above him, "Largely because it was a massive reminder that I was born and my parents hated me enough to leave me to die in an empty forest…"

Ichigo slung an arm over Toshiro's thighs and tightened his hold.

"Secondly, we're not even sure if today is my birthday," the white-haired beauty continued, "The doctors just guessed I was about seven weeks old, so they counted back exactly forty-nine days and wrote that date on my new, very blank birth certificate."

"Toshiro…"

"Just let me finish," Toshiro chided gently, "I thought this year was going to be even worse, because it'd be the first time without Granny… but it wasn't bad at all. Thank you for that, Ichigo, it wouldn't have been good without you."

Toshiro slid down the bed and Ichigo moved to let him in; his boyfriend coming to lie beside him, and Ichigo drew him into his chest.

"I know it must have been a bit confronting and full on with my family and the guys at school," Ichigo murmured, "You handled it well."

"I'm getting used to it," Toshiro yawned, closing his eyes, "But it's also kind of nice, having so many people care…"

"You're going soft, Babe."

"… Get lost."

…

 **We are finally in happier waters again!**

 **Please review if you've got a second!**

 **Love, G xx**


	17. Bringing in the New Year

**Oh, HI!**

 **I'm updating today instead of Monday because I'm actually going to be on away again next week. Chapter 18 will go up the following Monday as planned.**

 **Reminding you all once again that this is an** _ **M-RATED story**_ **(but I promise this time it is Ichigo and Tosh – No Kusaka). Enjoy, my lovelies!**

Chapter 17: Bringing in the New Year

Toshiro sat on the Kurosaki's couch sideways with his back against the arm rest and his legs draped lazily over Ichigo's lap, the strawberry in question had one arm around Toshiro's shoulders – pulling him close to his broad chest – and the other idly stroking the prodigy's knee and thigh. They were sharing a thick blanket together and Toshiro didn't think he'd ever felt so warm and content in his life.

It was Christmas Day – or night, rather – and he and the Kurosaki children were sitting in the living room watching Yuzu's favourite Christmas movie; _The Grinch._ The blonde twin was a huge fan of Christmas; she had made Toshiro wear a Santa hat all afternoon. The boy wouldn't have gone through with it if it hadn't been for Ichigo's constant gushing about how cute he looked with it on.

Isshin was still in the dining room, sharing a bottle of sake with his two friends, Jushiro and Shunsui Kyoraku, who were both really close friends of the family. They were married, and were the God fathers of all three of Isshin's kids. Toshiro thought they fit the 'uncle' description well; Jushiro was clearly the warm, caring, sensible one and Shunsui was the fun one who told highly inappropriate jokes at the dinner table. Ichigo had told him that they were the first people to find out he was gay; he'd gone to them when he began to question his sexuality and they helped him to come out to his family. Toshiro had rather liked them, although there was a scary moment where he thought Jushiro might try to adopt him, claiming that their similar names and hair colour could pass them off as father and son.

Just like with his birthday, Toshiro was expecting to find Christmas a painful occasion without Granny, but – while he did miss her terribly – the day hadn't been bad at all. He'd had a morning snuggle with Ichigo, a beautifully cooked dinner courtesy of Yuzu and had spent the winter holiday with a new, loving family. Toshiro counted himself incredibly lucky that Isshin had come along and taken him in, because otherwise he could be with any random family today and who knows what state he'd be in now.

Karin – rather bored of the movie – had left to make hot chocolate for everyone and now returned, passing two of the warm beverages to the couple on the couch. She then passed one down to Yuzu, who was laying on her stomach on the carpeted floor, before the raven-haired twin returned to her seat in her father's recliner.

"I used to hate Christmas," Ichigo whispered into Toshiro's ear, "Especially after my Mum died, but each year has gotten a bit better and this year has been the best."

Toshiro felt his boyfriend's lips press gently against the top tip of his ear and found himself leaning into the touch.

"I used to hate Christmas too," the young prodigy responded, his head returning to Ichigo's shoulder as the strawberry's chin came to rest on the crown of his head, "I wish I could have spent every Christmas here… but with Granny too. No Hinamori's."

He heard Ichigo chuckle above him, "My parents would have been more than happy for that."

Toshiro grinned as he sipped at his hot chocolate, imaging a Christmas lunch with Granny, both of Ichigo's parents, Ichigo himself and the twins, as well as Jushiro and Shunsui. It was the big family that he'd always wanted.

"My mother would have adored you," Ichigo continued, drinking from his own mug, "She would have loved to raise you."

"That might have made us brothers," Toshiro commented dryly, smirking into his cup.

Ichigo made a face and frowned as he took another sip of his hot chocolate. When he pulled the cup back away from his mouth, a milk moustache had made itself at home upon his upper lip. Toshiro bit his tongue to stop from laughing. He now had two options; pretend he didn't see it and leave it there for as long as possible, or be kind and tell him so he can remove it himself. _Hmmm_ , he suddenly had a better idea…

"You've got a little something on your lip…" He murmured before quickly drawing the surprised strawberry in for a kiss.

Toshiro's tongue swiped his boyfriend's upper lip, successfully removing the sweet liquid and drawing it into his own mouth. Ichigo's tongue followed, as if trying to reclaim what was left of his hot chocolate, and together the two appendages danced teasingly between each of the boys' mouths. Eventually the strawberry won for dominance, and Toshiro shifted to give the guy a better angle to work with, his leg brushing against Ichigo's half-hard arousal. Ichigo gave a low moan and Toshiro had to pull away before it got too heated in front of his family.

He quickly glanced at the girls; Karin was texting and Yuzu's eyes were glued to television screen.

Leaning back into Ichigo's chest, Toshiro closed his eyes and listened as the nineteen year old's breathing and heart rate slowed back into a calm state. Somewhere in the middle of the kiss, Ichigo must have removed the mugs from their hands and put them on the coffee table. The white-haired boy was considered a genius but he didn't have the first clue about how or when that had actually occurred; he must have been a little too caught up in that kiss as well.

The strawberry's arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him closer. Toshiro buried his face in his boyfriend's chest and sighed contentedly; he was becoming more and more affectionate every day he spent in his roommate's presence and for the first time in his life, it didn't scare him.

"Come on, we better get to bed," Ichigo murmured as Toshiro pulled the blanket over his shoulder.

"Nah, I'm good here, thanks," Toshiro mumbled, feeling himself slowly starting to slip away.

Ichigo's deep chuckle resonated from above him somewhere, and he could feel the nineteen year olds thumbs rubbing gentle circles into his hips. _Yeah, he was good here._

...

Toshiro glanced around the big backyard of the Abarai's house, remembering the last party he'd been to at this particular house. Way back before his grandmother had fallen sick again, and before Ichigo was his boyfriend. It was only five or six months ago now, but he felt like a lifetime of changes had occurred within that time frame, and he was hoping that the next half a year would be more steady for him.

It was New Year's Eve, and upon finding out his parents were going to be away again, Renji had – of course – volunteered to host another large party, with Jinta hot at his heels. It was almost the same people present as last time, although with a few noticeable absences; the twins – which Ichigo was rather happy about – and Kusaka – which Toshiro was very happy about. Since it was still the winter break, some of the college students that were normally boarders also couldn't make it as their homes were too far away.

Toshiro could see Rangiku flirting away with Chad; he'd been surprised to find out her attraction to the large Latino, as normally the 'bad boy' type – such as Gin Ichimaru – was her favourite. Apparently she had been attracted to his 'mysteriousness', as she put it, and also his 'super-hot bod.' Of course, Toshiro saw through all of that and knew that Rangiku was – whether she was aware of it or not – looking for someone who wouldn't betray her and break her heart as all her previous partners had done. Chad was sweet, caring, reliable and loyal; he'd never hurt her or anyone, and Toshiro thought his best friend probably wanted that for a change.

In the far corner of the yard, Ikkaku and Yumichika were having a rather raunchy make out session and Toshiro had to avert his eyes quickly, or else he'd want to do the same to Ichigo. Where was Ichigo anyway? Toshiro's teal gaze scanned the yard and eventually found the strawberry having what appeared to be a deep and meaningful chat with Renji. Toshiro walked towards his boyfriend, also spying Rukia challenging Shuuhei to a cartwheel contest and the prodigy shook his head as he wandered by; that could only end in injury.

"Babe!" Ichigo called drunkenly as he spotted the approaching boy-genius and made some wild hand gestures, "Come here!"

Toshiro supressed a smirk as he reached the orange-haired teen. He was immediately pulled onto his boyfriend's lap, wet lips pressing against his temple.

"We were just talking about you," Ichigo murmured, his arms wrapping tightly around Toshiro's small frame as the boy sat side-saddle over his legs.

"And Ruuukiaa!" Renji announced, raising his beer in toast to his girlfriend.

"About how cute and tiny you both are," Ichigo continued, his words slurring slight, "And how happy you make us."

Toshiro blushed at his boyfriend's cheesy drunk-talk and ducked his head into the older boy's neck. True to his word, Toshiro so far hadn't consumed a drop of alcohol since the last dorm party, but as they were within walking distance – a bit of long walk but short enough to forgo the car – Ichigo had decided not to drive so he could have a couple of cheeky beers at the party.

The snow crowned prodigy pressed his lips shyly onto the strawberry's warm neck. Ichigo took that as a sign to kiss the fifteen year old, and soon Toshiro found himself once again lip locked with his gorgeous specimen of a boyfriend. What was initially a sweet, chaste kiss quickly escalated, and Toshiro felt one of Ichigo's hands running up and down his thigh, while the other one was planted securely in the centre of the smaller boy's back as the strawberry leaned over him. Toshiro's eyes were closed, but he could feel himself being leant back and knew his upper body was being held off the ground by nothing but Ichigo's own strength; if he faltered or lost his grip, Toshiro would surely tumble backwards off his boyfriend's lap and the garden chair, but Ichigo held him steadily despite his drunken state.

As tongues slid between mouths, the kiss got more desperate and suddenly Toshiro felt a hardening bulge growing in Ichigo's pants, pressing firmly against his ass. The genius groaned at the feeling, his own member uncomfortable in his skinny jeans. He wiggled to adjust his position slightly in the orange-haired male's lap in order to release some of the pressure of the tight denim against his groin, but only ended up rubbing against Ichigo's own arousal, causing the older teen to moan into the kiss and for Toshiro to end up ultimately more uncomfortable in his pants than before.

"Do you two want to borrow my bedroom?" Renji's heavily sarcasm-laced voice sounded from his spot beside Ichigo, "Or are you just gonna fuck right here on my lawn?"

Toshiro pulled out of the kiss, blushing heavily; he'd forgotten where they were. Ichigo chuckled, the sound coming out deeper and sexier than usually, doing absolutely nothing to quell Toshiro's hard on. _Fuck, he wanted Ichigo so badly._

He still wasn't ready for intercourse yet, but having the tall strawberry wrapped around him made it awfully tempting. On his birthday, he had accidently let slip that thought during a heavy make out session in Ichigo's bedroom. He was just so damned turned on at the time; it had seemed like a good idea for a flash second. He had also been feeling a little self-conscious about his request to go slow with Ichigo, and thought that perhaps the suggestion was something Ichigo would want. Of course, Ichigo saw through him instantly, and the teal-eyed prodigy had been thankful for it. It also led to an honest conversation about sex; it was awkward at first but he was soon put at ease with Ichigo's reassuring words. Nonetheless, maybe it was time for them to take a step forward in that regard…

"Fuck off, Renji," Ichigo growled, playfully whacking the redhead in the arm, before turning back to Toshiro, "Don't mind him, he's just a horny idiot."

Renji scoffed behind them.

Toshiro smirked, before bringing his lips close to Ichigo's ear, "Maybe later we could…"

His eyes flickered down to their groins before flicking back up.

"Toshiro-" came the warning tone.

"Not _that_ ," Toshiro emphasised with a whisper, hoping the strawberry would infer his hint correctly, "but we could do other stuff…"

"Other stuff?"

The young prodigy nodded, "Other stuff."

"Oh," light dawned in Ichigo's eyes, before his mouth twitched up into a sly grin, and winked terribly, " _Other stuff_."

Toshiro nodded with a small smile, heat rising in his cheeks, before he pressed his lips tentatively against the strawberry's own, the older male returning the sweet gesture. The boy-genius felt Ichigo's fingers – warm despite the cold of the night – intertwine with his own and he sighed contentedly into the kiss. Nothing could ruin this moment.

"Toshiro?!"

 _Nothing except that_.

Toshiro sighed inwardly as he once again pulled out of the kiss. He should have known he was going to have to have this chat sooner or later, but he was banking on her not noticing for a few more months and Izuru being too spineless to tell her.

"Momo," He greeted, ignoring the shocked expression on her face at finding him in this position, "What's up?"

He had never told her he was gay, let alone mentioned the Ichigo-situation; he hadn't even seen her since the morning he'd left Junrinan.

His cousin's wide eyes darted between Toshiro and Ichigo, her mouth moving but no sound coming out.

Toshiro sighed, before untangling himself out of his boyfriend's hold. He planted a swift kiss on the corner of Ichigo's mouth.

"I'll be right back," He muttered, standing up and feeling seriously relieved his boner had died.

Ichigo nodded in response; he was aware of the situation.

Toshiro wandered off inside the Abarai house, and found a quiet spot in the kitchen, away from the loud music, shouting and other suspicious noises coming from various other rooms of the house. As expected, Momo had followed him in and turned to look at her. He said nothing as he leant back against the kitchen sink.

"You…" She murmured, her eyes looking accusingly at him, "And Ichigo?"

Toshiro nodded, quickly turning away. He didn't want to see her reactions if this went bad, so he pretended to look around for a glass, and he found one in his first cupboard of choice, so he followed through and filled it up with water from the tap and slipped it slowly, willing himself to stay calm.

"You should have told me," The brunette girl muttered, and Toshiro could hear the rejection in her voice.

He wasn't sure if she was referring to him being gay, his new relationship or both.

"Why?" He asked, turning back towards her and now the accusation was in his eyes, "You're never around."

"I'm your cousin," She replied, her voice thick.

"Are you?" His sound as equally as heavy, "Because your mother is trying to contest Granny's will on the grounds that I'm not really family, so I shouldn't receive what she's left me."

Well, in actual fact, Hana was arguing that Granny didn't have the capacity to make the will due to her age and sickness, given that she'd made some hefty changes to the legal document during the last few months of her life. Hana had been left the house, Momo had been left the car, and Toshiro had been left her life savings. He didn't even know his grandmother had any money, but apparently she'd saved the money her husband had left for her and spent most of Toshiro's life saving up for his college fund, which was never needed due to his full scholarship at KTU. Either way, Hana had a good lawyer and a decent leg to stand on; incapacity to make or change a will due to age and illness was a legitimate ground to contest.

Toshiro personally didn't care for the money; if he wanted money, he could have done a business course instead of science and build up his own company – with his brains, he could have millions by the time he was twenty-five. A European car and an indoor lap pool were not on his wish list, but making scientific discoveries and getting lost – _figuratively_ – in space were. It was more the fact that his aunt was once again trying to push him out of the family. Granny was gone, he was never going to see her again, or his aunt for that matter, and he thought he'd been done dealing with this shit by now, especially given that he'd moved into the Kurosaki's, but when the will was released, Hana had opened fire once more. If anything, Toshiro just wanted the money out of principal now; Granny had left it to him, therefore it was his.

"I have nothing to do with that," Momo whispered.

 _Of course she didn't_ , Toshiro thought bitterly while he sipped on his water, she had never stood up for him in front her mother.

He shrugged, "Well now you know; I'm gay, I'm with Ichigo. Any questions, please refer them to Kira, I'm sure he could help you out."

It was a bit of low blow, but he didn't care. He was just about done with Momo constantly ignoring him and then pretending like they were still as close as they were when he was ten. Besides, Izuru had known for months about Ichigo's apparent crush on him and then, of course, when they had officially began to date, and he saw Momo a lot more than Toshiro did, nothing was stopping him from saying anything… except for the fact that he didn't think she'd take it well, and these days she had a bit of a short fuse.

He put his glass down by the sink, and started to walk past her, heading back to the garden and his handsome-as-fuck boyfriend. His cousin's small hand grabbed his sleeve as passed her, and he paused, glancing questioningly in her direction.

"Did Granny know?"

"About Ichigo?"

"That you're gay?"

Toshiro nodded. He felt her grip slacken and he was able to slip out of his grasp and exit the kitchen without a second glance. He almost smiled as he remembered Granny's exact words after he had very nervously opened up about his sexuality during the autumn break before she had relapsed with her cancer.

" _Granny, I… I'm gay."_

" _Oh Sweetheart, I don't blame you, that Ichigo is fit."_

Toshiro made his way out to the back yard and found Ichigo in a very sexy situation; a push up challenge between him, Renji, Shuuhei and Ikkaku, although the bald man had obviously had too much to drink, and the physical exertion had caused his to vomit and then pass out in that vomit; Yumichika looked disgusted as he rolled his boyfriend onto his side and wiped his mouth with a make-up wipe. Shuuhei voluntarily quit when a hot girl had walked by and he scampered off to flirt with her. Renji and Ichigo went head to head, pushing their equally strong bodies up and down over the grass and throwing the odd piece of trash-talk about.

"Ridiculous, right?" Rukia muttered, standing on Toshiro's left, and propping an elbow on his shoulder as she leant against him. He'd learnt that the Kuchki girl was rather affectionate with her friends.

"Ridiculous," He agreed, nodding a little.

"But kind of hot…" Rukia murmured after two beats of silence, her eyes glued to the scene in front of her.

"So hot," Toshiro breathed, watching the muscles on Ichigo's body tense and relax and tense again.

When neither of their boyfriends had given up after almost ten minutes, both Ichigo and Renji had demanded that their partners sit on their backs as they did it; the extra weight adding to the competition. Toshiro and Rukia reluctantly climbed on and after a further ten minutes, they both grew bored. The raven-haired girl sat cross-legged on her boyfriend's back, one elbow digging into her thigh as she propped her chin up.

"Getting kind of ridiculous again," She sighed.

Toshiro only nodded.

Eventually Rukia grew so bored that she sabotaged Renji; tickling his sides and he crumpled to the ground a giggling mess. She was forgiven promptly however when she delivered what Toshiro thought looked like a mind-blowing kiss; Renji's anger forgotten in an instant. Ichigo was crying with laughter at seeing his heavily tattooed friend brought down so easily, and he pulled Toshiro in for his own breath-taking victory kiss; the prodigy's arms wrapping around his neck before he felt Ichigo lift him off the ground and hold him under his thighs, Toshiro's legs wrapping instinctively around the berry's waist.

…

"One minute to midnight!" Shuuhei bellowed out across the yard, earning a big cheer in response.

Toshiro had found himself once again in Ichigo's lap in the same garden chair as earlier; his head rested against his boyfriend's shoulder. Ichigo was sipping on a beer but was, for the most part, relatively sober. The prodigy had updated him on the Momo situation but he was insistent that it didn't ruin their night; this was the most fun he'd had at a party in a long time, and he was revelling in the fact that he had the world's hottest boyfriend and they were really happy together. He knew he was getting a little sentimental, but he just wanted to put this roller-coaster year behind him and welcome the New Year with a fresh start. Ichigo had been okay with that; he was still high on his win against Renji.

"Are you making any resolutions, Babe?" Ichigo asked, planting a soft kiss on Toshiro's crown.

"I read a study that claimed only eight percent of people are successful in following through with their New Year's resolutions…"

"A study?" Ichigo chuckled, "How old are you?"

"Forty-five, I'd say," Toshiro grinned.

"You cradle robber, you," Ichigo smirked before draining the rest of his beer and placing the empty bottle on the nearby garden table.

"Says you."

Ichigo flashed him a cheeky grin before wrapping his arms tightly around the younger boy and pulling him in close. Toshiro would have loved to have gone to sleep right then and there, he was that comfortable, but he knew if he stayed awake, he'd be rewarded in an exciting way.

"Seriously, though," Ichigo murmured from above him, "Any resolutions?"

Toshiro thought on it for a minute.

"I think…" He ventured softly after a while, "I think I might try making more friends next year. If I've learnt anything in the last few months, it's how important friendship can be."

"I think that's a good resolution to have," Ichigo pressed his lips against Toshiro's forehead.

"What about you?" Toshiro hummed.

"Little things, I guess," Ichigo responded, giving a lazy gesture with his hand, "Do well in class, ace my exams, keep you by my side, beat Renji at anything and everything, the list goes on…"

Toshiro grinned into Ichigo's chest, but any reply he might have had was immediately lost with the sudden countdown into the New Year.

10… 9… 8… 7… 6… 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The cheer echoed throughout the backyard and the house, as well as a few of the neighbouring houses. Lovers kissed, friends hugged and high-fived, and streamers were thrown all over the place. Ichigo and Toshiro wasted no time in locking their lips together once again, the white haired prodigy glimpsing Chad and Rangiku sharing their first kiss on the porch before giving in fully to his boyfriend's affection.

…

Ichigo hung up the phone as they entered the Kurosaki home.

"Dad says they're leaving now and will be home in about an hour," Ichigo informed Toshiro as they ascended the stairs to the bedrooms, "So we have the house to ourselves until then…"

If Toshiro could see his boyfriend's face in the dark hallway, he was sure he would find his face looking as suggestive as his voice had just sounded. Toshiro's stomach bubbled; half-nervous and half-excited. Isshin had taken the girls to a big NYE festival in the city, which meant they did have the place to themselves for the next hour or so, and they could begin to explore ' _other stuff'_.

Toshiro entered his new bedroom, since it was the closest to the stairs, and he was beginning to feel slightly more anxious; this was a big step forward for the couple on a physical scale. He wanted too, he really did, but doubts started to cross his mind; what if he did something wrong and embarrassed himself?

As if reading his thoughts, Ichigo came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Toshiro's waist. His toned chest was pressed firmly against the prodigy's back and slowly, some of his insecurities began to ebb away.

Warm lips were against the hinge of his jaw, as Ichigo began to litter hot kisses against Toshiro's throat. Again, the white-haired male could feel his boyfriend's hardening arousal coming to life behind him, pressing to the very base of his spine. Ichigo's kisses turned to light sucks and before Toshiro knew it, his own member was awaking between his legs. Teeth grazed at his pulse, and Toshiro involuntarily shuddered with pleasure, his mouth emitting a soft moan.

He spun in the strawberry's arms and he pulled the taller male over to his bed. Both boys climbed on, lying side by side, before Ichigo once again descended upon Toshiro's neck. The younger teen felt heat rack his body as Ichigo found his pulse again and sucked harshly.

The pleasure gave him a bit of a confidence boost, and he pushed Ichigo off him before swinging a leg over the strawberry and pulling himself up to straddle his boyfriend's hips. His eyes had adjusted to the lack of light now, and he could see the surprise flicker over Ichigo's face, his chocolate eyes going wide for a second. Toshiro leant down to kiss the med science student, the shift of his pelvis against Ichigo's caused them both to inhale sharply. Ichigo met Toshiro half way, propping himself up on his elbows, his hands coming to rest on Toshiro's thighs. This kiss was more intense and needy than ever before; Toshiro moved his hips again – on purpose this time – and Ichigo moaned into kiss.

Still a bit uneasy, Toshiro's hands trembled a little as he unbuttoned Ichigo's shirt; the material instantly fell over the strawberry's shoulders, the man himself leaning up a bit more so he could quickly pull it all the way off. The shirt was gone in a flash and Toshiro felt Ichigo's hands on his hips, tugging gently at his own shirt. The younger male lifted his arms as Ichigo pulled it over his head and they came together again for some more tonsil hockey.

The future astrophysicist's mind was foggy, like he was drunk but he hadn't had a drop of alcohol. His body felt like he was on fire, and when Ichigo was the one to move his hips up this time, the unexpected grinding forced a loud moan out of Toshiro's mouth. He was thankful for the lack of light as he blushed deeply at the sound he'd just made; it had been so raw and needy.

Feeling the need to steady himself and take a few deep calming breaths, he wretched himself away from Ichigo's mouth and moved along his jawline instead. The orange-haired male made some sexy grunts as Toshiro moved along the bone, leaving a fiery trail in his wake. The idea of soothing his butterflies with even breaths didn't work, largely because he couldn't stop long enough to take a breather. Instead, his hands slowly fumbled with Ichigo's waistband, his shaking fingers unable to co-ordinate to undo the top button.

Two hands caught his wrists and Toshiro glanced up at his boyfriend.

"You're nervous," Ichigo stated.

Toshiro paused, not knowing how to answer. Yes, he was very nervous. The anxious feeling was coming in waves; it would hit him for a few seconds and then recede, before crashing over him once more, just that little bit harder than before and it felt like he was actually stuck in rough surf, each wave becoming harder to overcome.

"We can stop?" Ichigo suggested, his thumbs making smooth circles against Toshiro's bare ribs.

"I don't want to stop," Toshiro replied honesty, "I-I just… I just need a minute."

Ichigo nodded before kissing his cheek gently. He continued to stroke the prodigy's skin soothingly.

"Are you nervous about giving or receiving?" The strawberry asked once a minute was up.

Toshiro bit his lip, "Giving. I might do it wrong."

Ichigo chuckled, sitting up and Toshiro shifted back onto the bigger man's thighs.

"You're a prodigy," The nineteen year old picked up Toshiro's hand and brushed his lips gently against his knuckles, "So I doubt you'll do it wrong."

Toshiro frowned and wanted to argue, but Ichigo continued on;

"But I don't want you to be nervous; come to me when you're feeling confident, I'm happy to wait, you know?"

"But-"

"And tonight," Ichigo cut over him, his hands sliding back down to Toshiro's hips, "How about you let me take care of you?"

Toshiro felt bad; he didn't want Ichigo to have to do all the work and not receive anything in return. It must have shown on his face, because Ichigo kissed him gently, his mouth moving lovingly against the prodigy's own.

"I want to," Ichigo whispered against him, "Please."

Taking in a deep breath, Toshiro nodded shyly. Ichigo smiled his favourite breath-taking smile and gently flipped them over so that the taller teen was now hovering over the smaller of the two.

They were kissing again, the sweet moment quickly becoming urgent once again as they both found they're metaphorical footing. Eventually Ichigo's much steadier hand found Toshiro's jeans, and with one quick movement, the button and fly were undone. Ichigo stood up on his knees as he hooked his fingers under the waistband of both the jeans and boxers, and flicked his eyes up to Toshiro. The prodigy nodded gently after a millisecond of hesitation; _he wanted this_.

"Promise me that'll you tell me if you want to stop, okay?" Ichigo demanded, though his voice was gentle, "Don't try and power through it if you're uncomfortable,"

Toshiro nodded quickly, "I promise."

The strong hands began to pull and soon Toshiro found himself completely naked. His face flushed, but any embarrassment that had flooded through him was vanquished the moment he saw Ichigo's face. The future doctor was staring hungrily at his erect member; his eyes dark and full of desire, his mouth slightly agape and his breathing hitched.

"You are so beautiful," Ichigo exhaled, his eyes returning to meet Toshiro's own teal gaze.

The orange-haired male climbed back over Toshiro and pressed his lips gently against the younger teen's own. He began a painfully slow journey down Toshiro's body, pressing light kisses everywhere he could reach, pausing briefly to suck on Toshiro neck, nipples, hip bones and inner thighs. The prodigy had known he was sensitive in all of those areas except the thighs, but now he had that bit of knowledge and Ichigo did too, a dangerously good combination.

Toshiro was a mess as Ichigo finally found his way back to his erection. He'd been trying to stay as quiet as possible but it was getting harder and harder – _in more ways than one_ – to stop himself from screaming out and moaning wantonly.

Ichigo flattened out his tongue and pressed it against Toshiro's base before licking the whole way up, circling the head and poking his tongue into the leaking slit. The white haired prodigy actually had to bite his own hand to stop himself from calling out, until Ichigo reached up and pulled the limb out of his mouth.

"I want to hear your voice, Toshiro," He purred, his voice so coarse it was almost enough to send Toshiro over the edge right then and there.

A light smirk played on the strawberry's lips before he quickly descended on Toshiro's erection, the boy in question unable to supress the load moan that tore from his throat. Ichigo hummed his approval at the sound, the vibration of his throat around Toshiro's cock was a feeling like no other and Toshiro's head fell back against the pillows; all coherent thought gone.

Ichigo's tongue worked magic creating patterns against the prodigy's shaft from inside his mouth. A continuous string of gasps, groans and moans left Toshiro's mouth, the prodigy no longer trying to quell them.

"Fuck," He gasped, "Ich- Fuck, Ichigo!"

Toshiro held on as Ichigo popped the head of his length past his gag reflex and dove deeper, one large hand slipping underneath him and squeezing his ass a little while the other fondled his balls. His tall boyfriend began to suck hard and Toshiro saw stars; he couldn't even hear the sounds he was making any more and yet he knew that he was still going.

He needed an anchor; something to steady himself to this world before he lost his battle against the urge to explode in the strawberry's mouth. His little hands found security in bright orange locks and Ichigo opened his eyelids. The two boys locked eyes and Ichigo's had a slight twinkle in them as he hummed again, sending Toshiro's own eyes rolling back into his head.

"Ichigo!" He gasped, "I can't… I-I'm gonna…"

Ichigo sucked harder in response, hollowing his cheeks and pressing Toshiro's erection further down his throat. Toshiro came hard with Ichigo's name on his tongue, his vision going white.

It must have been several minutes before he came back down to earth, because Ichigo was lying back up beside him, an arm draped lazily over Toshiro's body while the other supported his head and bent at the elbow to play loosely with his white locks, the blanket pulled up around them. Toshiro was aware that he was still panting, his lungs and heart working at over time to steady his heart rate and breathing.

"That was so…" He puffed, his whole body limp in exhaustion, "So fucking _good_."

Ichigo chuckled, placing a light kiss on his forehead, "You are gorgeous."

Humming in response but forgetting why, Toshiro leaned further into the strawberry's hold, his eyelids drooping shut and Ichigo's hand in his hair soothed him.

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep," Ichigo was murmuring above him, "Goodnight, Baby."

"G'night, Ich," Toshiro heard himself slur as he finally gave into the darkness.

…

 **;)**

 **Please tell me what you thought in a review below!**


	18. Confidence

**Another** _ **M-RATED**_ **scene in this chapter, so pls no kidz!**

…

Chapter 18: Confidence

Toshiro entered the dojo with a swift bow and glanced around the room nervously. He had hoped his new friends, Renji and Ikkaku, would be here already but they were late, which honestly wasn't a surprise. The white haired prodigy had missed the last few weeks of karate, in hopes to avoid a certain brunette man that he'd been avoiding since he had come back from Junrinan.

Toshiro had been lucky enough to evade Kusaka on several occasions since classes had resumed a few weeks ago, largely due to having a big group of friends these days. In the dining hall, he was surrounded by all of them, including his intimidatingly hot boyfriend, so there was no way Kusaka would dare approach him there. In maths and physics classes, he had Renji – also Kira, but their relationship had been a little shaky since Momo had apparently gone off at the blonde for not telling her about her cousin's love life – and the redheaded pineapple was a stronger fighter than the brunette bastard was. Toshiro had to go to both classes and the dining hall, but karate was an optional club, and he'd been avoiding it, not wanting to be caught alone with Kusaka. Somehow, he had also managed to avoid the tall brunette in the dorm building hallways and stairwell.

Renji and Ikkaku had basically demanded Toshiro come back to karate classes; they knew he was avoiding Kusaka but they didn't know the full extent of why. In an effort to keep his New Year's resolution, the snow-topped genius agreed and now here he was.

"You made it!" Renji called as he entered the dojo met Toshiro with a forceful pat on the back.

Toshiro nodded, his eyes still sweeping the entrances. Renji raised an eyebrow but anything he was going to say was forgotten when Ikkaku turned up with massive hickeys on his neck, and the redhead was immediately distracted and began to mock the bald man.

Kusaka did eventually turn up, and class began. The brunette spent a lot of time eyeing Toshiro while the white-haired black belt tried to ignore him. It was making him feel very uncomfortable and at some point Ikkaku, who was leading the activity at the time, told Kusaka off for being distracted and then used him as a volunteer for a demonstration, which led to him kneeing the twenty-three year old right in his groin. Toshiro winced as Kusaka keeled over in pain, his eyes beginning to water, but at the same time, the prodigy was somewhat satisfied to see him like that.

Just as he was beginning to count himself lucky that he'd had very little to do with the bastard during the class, their instructor called for them to split into pairs for hand-to-hand sparring practice. Before the words had even left the instructor's mouth, Toshiro felt someone grip his arm almost painfully tight and slap his ass. Needless to say, he knew instantly who it was.

"Did you miss me?" Kusaka purred in Toshiro's ear as he dragged him over to the far corner of the room.

"Can't say I have," Toshiro muttered, twisting his arm out of the older man's vice-like grip.

"Don't be like that, Baby," Kusaka threw a sloppy jab towards Toshiro's face as he began their sparring, "I've missed you."

Toshiro dodged it effortlessly, holding his guard up and preparing to block anything the long-haired male threw at him – physical or otherwise.

"I have a boyfriend now, Kusaka," Toshiro warned, blocking another attack with his forearm, "And Ichigo hates you almost as much as I do."

"You didn't seem to hate me so much when you were sucking my dick," Kusaka's eyes swept over Toshiro's body.

Toshiro clenched his jaw; _don't hit him, don't hit him, don't hit him._

"You know what I think?" Kusaka continued, "I think that Ichigo doesn't really like you."

Toshiro frowned; what game was Kusaka playing now? The brunette tried another jab, this time coming from below and aiming at his stomach. The prodigy almost didn't see it coming, and had to jump back out of the way. Kusaka smirked and stepped forward. _Fuck_ , Toshiro needed to focus.

"He's just using you for sex," Kusaka explained, his grin widening, "And then he will leave you like everyone else does."

Kusaka was bringing out the big guns, hitting what he knew were touchy subjects to Toshiro; sex and abandonment. There had been a time when Toshiro was fresh to university and Kusaka had been the only one who would talk to him; the boy-genius had never opened up fully like he had with Ichigo, but the brunette knew enough about him to know he'd be striking a nerve with those topics. However, he failed to take into account how much repair Ichigo had done, and Toshiro didn't believe the strawberry would do what Kusaka was suggesting; Ichigo was a good person, he had a heart and he cared deeply for Toshiro.

"That's not true," Toshiro replied with confidence, "Ichigo isn't like that."

The instructor called out for them to swap roles, and now Toshiro was attacking and Kusaka was on the defence; _that poor bastard_. Toshiro started with a parry of jabs; left, right, left, right, right again, left. Kusaka couldn't keep up with his speed.

"You're a slut, Toshiro," Kusaka's grin was replaced by a sneer as he struggled to block every attack, "Ichigo could never love you."

 _Don't hit him, don't hit him, don't hit him…_

"Ichigo isn't even that hot," Kusaka was clutching at straws now; who could honestly deny that the berry wasn't the most gorgeous creature they'd ever laid their eyes upon?

Toshiro jabbed twice again, this time with his left and then went to jab once more with his right, but Kusaka predicted it, catching his wrist.

"He's not very bright either, is he?" The brunette laughed, "Ichigo is an idiot."

 _Don't hit him, don't hit-_

Too late.

Toshiro had swung back with his free left hand, and punched Kusaka right in the eye, the man crumpling to the floor and hissing in pain.

 _Yes, Ichigo is an idiot,_ Toshiro thought, _but he is my idiot._

The instructor glanced over, his expression bored as he took in Kusaka's prone form on the ground, still hissing and spitting in rage and pain as he clutched his eye. He did nothing to help but called for them to switch partners.

Ikkaku and Renji were immediately at Toshiro's side.

"Are you okay?" Renji asked, his eyes so concerned it almost scared Toshiro.

"Yeah," Toshiro rubbed his fist, wiping off the little bit of blood that had come from Kusaka's face, "Are you?"

Renji chuckled, "Ichigo told me to look after you, and to keep an eye on Kusaka. I couldn't very well take you back to him in anything less than perfect condition."

"Oh," Toshiro flushed.

The paired off again; this time Toshiro was with Ikkaku and Renji had taken on Kusaka with a very malicious grin on his face. The white haired prodigy liked being paired with Ikkaku as he was the only other black belt level student and they often could push each other harder. Toshiro was working up quite a sweat against the bald man when they heard a high-pitched scream across the room and glanced over to see Kusaka once again doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach this time. Renji stood in front of the man, his eyes wandering over the room innocently as if he hadn't even noticed his partner was down.

They made eye contact briefly, and Renji shrugged like he didn't know what happened but his eyes told another story, and when the instructor turned away he mouthed the words _'talk shit, get hit.'_

…

Toshiro saw Ichigo's hair across the dining hall and picked up his pace, striding across the room. Renji and Ikkaku were hot on his heels, still laughing about Kusaka's misfortune. The young prodigy spotted the brunette in question sitting a few tables over from Ichigo and therefore would have a wonderful view of what Toshiro planned on doing next. Perfect view, in fact.

Ichigo was sitting with the whole group at their usual table; they were the last there since they had stayed back to help their instructor pack up and joke at Kusaka's expense. The handsome strawberry looked up as the three of them approached, his eyes lighting up the way they only did when he saw Toshiro after a long day of separate classes and Toshiro's mouth twitched; he was so lucky to have this man in his life. There must have been something about his expression or possibly the expressions of his two cohorts because Ichigo suddenly frowned a little.

"Tosh, are you o-"

The white haired prodigy didn't let his boyfriend finish as he pulled the taller boy up off his seat with strength that surprised even him, and wrapped his arms around his neck. He instantly pressed his lips firmly against Ichigo's, waiting patiently for the man to respond. He didn't have to wait long; Ichigo's arms came around his waist and pulled their bodies flush together. Toshiro swiped his tongue against Ichigo's lips, the berry opening up immediately.

The kiss was raw and needy, desperate and passionate. Toshiro could hear wolf whistles and chanting from their friends; enough to attract the attention of the whole room, including a certain arrogant asshole sitting not too far away.

It was a message; Toshiro was with Ichigo. He belonged to the tall strawberry and nobody else, and vice versa. Kusaka could say whatever he wanted in attempt to make him or anyone else doubt that fact, but the evidence was now in front of him and all the other boarders at KTU, and no doubt everyone else will know by first class tomorrow.

Ichigo's hand came up to cup Toshiro's cheek lightly, the strawberry slowing the kiss down and pouring some gentle love into it. In the back of his mind, Toshiro registered a few nearby girls, including Rangiku and Rukia, swooning at the newfound tenderness of the moment. The young genius didn't think Ichigo was aware of why they were suddenly making out in the middle of the dining hall and that made the feelings all the more truthful. That's not to say that Toshiro's own weren't – because he certainly did return those feelings – but he also wanted to get Kusaka off his back; to show that his loyalty lay with Ichigo, and there was nothing a big-headed dickface like Kusaka could do about it.

The two boys broke apart when a sudden round of applause from their table sounded, and many other tables joined in. Toshiro immediately sat down at the table and hid the flush in his cheeks by ducking his head and staring down into the plate of food Ichigo had apparently plated up for him before he had arrived. Regular chatter broke out at the other tables again as everyone went back into their own business. Ichigo sunk back down into his seat beside Toshiro, his face flustered and expression confused.

"What was that all about?" Ichigo asked, his hand lightly grazing over his swollen lips, while Rangiku sat opposite them giggling.

Toshiro shrugged nonchalantly, "What was what?"

"That very public display of affection," Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "You're not usually into that."

Toshiro smirked and caught Renji's twinkling eye.

"Well, I punched Kusaka in the face today," The prodigy replied, his tone casual, "I felt like celebrating."

Ichigo's jaw dropped and so did a few others around the table.

"You punched him?!" The strawberry exclaimed, his eyes wide.

"He certainly did," Renji chimed in, grinning wildly, "And then I got him in the gut and Ikkaku nailed him right in the balls."

"The bastard had it coming," Ikkaku muttered, his eyes glinting darkly, "His obsession was with Yumi before Toshiro came along. I've never liked him."

"Oh please," Yumichika scoffed as he inspected his nails, "Like I'd ever get with someone so un-beautiful."

Ikkaku actually blushed at that, which led to Shuuhei teasing him and poking his cheeks.

Ichigo's strong arm wound around Toshiro's narrow shoulders and pulled the boy into his warm side. The snow-topped prodigy leant into his boyfriend's side as he nibbled on his bread roll.

"What happened?" The strawberry asked, whispering so the others couldn't hear him.

"He just said some stuff about me and you, and us together," Toshiro murmured, looking up into a set of concerned brown eyes, "And he slapped my ass. I just wanted to put him in his place, both when I punched him and when I kissed you just now."

Ichigo chuckled a little, "I'm glad you stood up for yourself, but if he ever does it again, I call dibs on punching his lights out."

Toshiro grinned and together they looked over at the brunette who was glaring at them as he nursed his black eye with a towel-wrapped ice pack. He looked away quickly as they returned his stare and after a few seconds, Kusaka got up and strode out of the dining hall.

Ichigo laughed, tightened his protective hold around Toshiro and the two boys shared a short, sweet kiss before returning to their dinners.

…

Later that night, Toshiro was studying at the kitchen table while Ichigo sat on the couch, completing an assignment. The television was on softly in the background, just loud enough to drown out the sound of Ichigo's typing and Toshiro's scribbling notes.

Toshiro glanced up at his boyfriend. After the big kiss at dinner, the young prodigy had been slightly turned on ever since. He watched discretely as the orange-haired male's brow dipped in a frown and he chewed on his pen as he stared at his laptop screen, before averting his eyes to his assessment information sheet and circling something on the page with his now very battered pen. Toshiro couldn't help but admire the way Ichigo's jaw clenched and unclenched as he continued to glare at his laptop, willing the words to write themselves, and the muscles in his arm flexed as he shifted his position on the couch.

Toshiro involuntarily licked his lips. The nineteen year old was simply studying and the younger male was turned on just watching him. _This wouldn't have happened before that damn blow job,_ he reminded himself. The make-out session they'd had in the early hours of the new year a few weeks ago had ended with a bang when Ichigo performed the most amazing and erotic torture over Toshiro's rock hard member and since then the white-haired male was horny about ninety percent of the time he was in the presence of his boyfriend. Luckily the cold of late January helped, and wearing tight jeans made his hard ons less obvious and his oversized jumpers were usually long enough to hide anything.

To be fair, he was also at the tail end of puberty, and that was certainly not helping any; his hormones raged around his body, and Toshiro was still learning to control them.

"This is ridiculous," Ichigo groaned loudly from the couch, "It doesn't make any sense."

The strawberry was glaring hard at his screen now, and Toshiro swallowed hard; Ichigo looked incredibly sexy when he was annoyed and frustrated. At this rate he was going to have to take a second shower to relieve himself.

"I'll text Rukia, maybe she knows…" Ichigo continued and picked up his phone, while Toshiro cocked his head sideways as he pictured what Ichigo's thing might look like.

Okay, this was really getting out of control; he was certainly not going to get any of his own studying done with these sorts of thoughts whizzing around his mind.

He had been feeling rather confident tonight too, since he had seen Kusaka's face contort in pain and shock from underneath his fist. Maybe it was time he could pay Ichigo back for the New Year's session. Even as the thought crossed his mind, no fear or apprehension was present like it usually was, and Toshiro nodded; he was ready to give back, and he was excited to do so.

"What you need…" Toshiro drawled as he stood up from his chair, catching the medical science student's attention, "Is a break, and a distraction."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow as Toshiro took of his reading glasses and strolled towards the couch. He quickly made his way around the back of the sofa to hide his growing boner that was more obvious in his loose sweatpants. The strawberry tipped his head back to see what he was doing behind him, and Toshiro quickly silenced the question on Ichigo's lips with an upside down Spiderman-style kiss. He moved his hands down to Ichigo's shoulders and gently began to squeeze them.

Ichigo groaned very softly at the contact, and Toshiro continued to massage his shoulders before moving towards the centre of his back and the base of neck. The future doctor was wearing a comfortable singlet that left most of his arms and shoulders bear, his skin feeling exceptionally warm under Toshiro's nimble fingers. The strawberry had a rather long neck and when he tilted his head away to give Toshiro better access to his right shoulder, the white-haired male couldn't help but press his lips against his throbbing pulse, causing Ichigo to gasp a little.

Toshiro continued to work on his boyfriend's upper back, neck and shoulders with his hands, working out a few knots in his muscles, while pressing the odd kiss into various bits of skin within reach. At one point, Ichigo released a strangled moan and Toshiro had to pause and regain some of his own control in order not to jump the strawberry right then and there. His resolve was losing out fast though, especially when Ichigo tipped his head back for another kiss, this one burning with desperation and lust.

Feeling more confident with himself than ever before, Toshiro moved around to the front of the couch and inspected Ichigo's flushed face and heavy breathing. The massage was supposed to relax him and take away the stress of the assignment he was trying to complete but had apparently only just turned him on too. _Perfect._

Plucking the laptop out of the older male's lap, Toshiro placed it on the coffee table before climbing on to the couch and straddling his boyfriend's hips. He felt the tell-tale sign of arousal in Ichigo's pants from beneath him.

'Toshiro," Ichigo purred.

Toshiro almost shuddered at the sexiness of the way Ichigo had said his name and kissed Ichigo fiercely. Hands were on his hips instantly as Toshiro plunged his tongue into Ichigo's mouth. The strawberry was fighting him for dominance but for once, it was the smaller male that won out. It felt a little weird to be in charge of their make out sessions for once but part of him was excited; it was like a thrilling rush, where he was nervous but too aroused to stop and register it.

As much as his own erection was becoming painful, he wanted to give back to Ichigo tonight. He certainly deserved it, and Toshiro needed to focus on that, otherwise his boyfriend will use any opportunity to flip them and then the budding-astrophysicist would be the mewling mess, and that was just not on the agenda for tonight.

"Tosh-ngghh-"

Ichigo choked on his words when Toshiro began to grind against him, his mouth moving along his boyfriend's jawline and down his throat. He wanted to moan himself, but manage to keep it to a minimal grunt, especially since Ichigo's hands now had his ass cheeks in possession.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Toshiro smirked into the strawberry's neck.

"I-I need ahjh-" Another loud moan tore from Ichigo's throat as Toshiro once again move his hips down across his clothed erection.

"What is 'ahjh'?" Toshiro continued to tease his boyfriend as the man failed to string a full sentence together.

It was kind of fun being dominant; he should try this more often. Although he was looking forward to the day they finally had sex, and Ichigo could totally take over and control him. There was just something very sexy about someone being in charge, especially from a submissive point of view.

"Tease," Ichigo accused between pants and Toshiro could only grin more.

He turned his kisses into sucks and explored Ichigo's neck, looking for any sensitive areas like he himself had. The man grunted beneath him, his hips bucking up to cause more friction between their two pelvises.

"Please, I-nngggghhnh,"

Toshiro found it. As it turned out, Ichigo's sensitive spots weren't on his neck, but lower. Quickly pulling the strawberry's singlet over his head, and reattached his lips to the teen's collarbone and sucked hard. Ichigo moaned loudly beneath him and Toshiro vaguely wondered if their neighbours could hear them. The orange-haired male was tugging at his shirt now, and Toshiro helped him remove it; _it couldn't hurt to give him something to look at…_

Amidst his sucks on the berry's clavicle, Ichigo's hands had come down to Toshiro's waistband was just about to reach inside when Toshiro grasped them quickly.

"No," He said, "This is for you,"

"Toshiro, you don't-"

"I want to," Toshiro spoke, his voice hopefully conveying enough assurance to convince Ichigo so he wouldn't call off the hot moment they were having.

Ichigo nodded, and Toshiro resumed sucking – and leaving rather dark marks – on his boyfriend's collarbone, the sounds of his moans once again filling the room. This time it was the white-haired male's turn to find Ichigo's waistband – the taller man was still in jeans since he was a morning-shower type of her person – and unlike last time, Toshiro was able to undo the top button and zip in one swift move – he'd been practicing – and he pulled the large member from its confines. He perched up on his knees for a second, as Ichigo lifted his own hips and together they pushed his jeans and boxers down to his knees. Toshiro shifted back, now sitting on Ichigo's bare upper-thighs and marvelling at the sheer size of Ichigo's length.

He might have been intimidated if he wasn't so damn excited about the prospect of one day finding that giant rod inside him.

Toshiro tentatively wrapped his fingers around the base and stroked it gently; Ichigo grunted his approval. Teal eyes flickered up to briefly meet those beautiful chocolate brown eyes of his partner. They were darker than usual, and Toshiro could see the intense desire in them; he had to refrain from giving himself over to the strawberry right then and there – it was still another issue for another day.

He brought his hand up to the head of Ichigo's cock and squeezed it gently, using his thumb to swipe the pre-cum off the very top and smear it over the head. There was lube in his bedroom and probably in Ichigo's as well, and normally he would have preferred to use it, but he was having too much fun to get up now. He had exercised enough on himself in the past to know he wouldn't actually need it for just a hand job.

Slowly at first, the prodigy began to pump; the position he was in with Ichigo's shaft between his own legs gave him the perfect angle that he'd had plenty practice of his own at – it was just like masturbating, but with a backwards penis. Ichigo moaned again, his head dropping down over the back of the couch, and his hands returned to squeezing Toshiro's ass once again.

He began to speed up, throwing a couple of his own tricks into his movements. His speed was an irregular rhythm that kept Ichigo on his toes, and he started to pay more attention to the head of the member which, of course, was the most pleasurable area for him to tease. His grip would strengthen and relax on and off again.

"Fuck, Tosh!" Ichigo hissed, "I can't – I'm g-gonna c-nngggh-"

Knowing Ichigo was close gave Toshiro a further confidence boost, and the white-haired male quickly slipped off Ichigo's legs onto the floor. The strawberry actually whimpered when the prodigy let go of his length in order to pull the teen's pants down to his ankles. This gave him more room to spread Ichigo's legs a bit and perch between them before quickly grasping the man's erection once more.

Ichigo's eyes widened in realisation before Toshiro bent over him and took the large arousal into his mouth. He only had to suck hard once before Ichigo's hips jerked a little – not slamming into the back of his throat like Kusaka had, thankfully – and he moaned Toshiro's name loudly. A thick, warm, salty liquid then followed, filling Toshiro's mouth, and the genius was able to swallow it easily; _he'd never spit Ichigo's cum out._

Carefully, he released the slick and softened member from his mouth. Ichigo's head was back and his eyes were closed, his breathing heavy, although he managed to get out a few syllables which sounded suspiciously like _"Fucking prodigy."_ He seemed to be completely boneless, and Toshiro doubted he'd get the man's pants back up without his cooperation, so he decided to climb back onto the couch, this time sitting beside his boyfriend. He pulled the blanket off the armrest and draped it over both of them as he snuggled into his boyfriend's side.

Toshiro had to admit that the feeling of making Ichigo climax was incredible, almost as good as finishing himself. He knew he was going to be ready for intercourse pretty soon now, and that excited him.

…

"Good morning, Handsome," Ichigo grinned at him when they both woke up to find themselves still on the couch.

Ichigo's pants were still around his ankles, but at some point in the night they must have tipped sideways together and then adjusted to get more comfortable because Toshiro found himself lying almost on top of Ichigo, his legs straightened out to the other end of the couch, and the strawberry himself had turned onto his back. The white-haired genius could feel his boyfriend's morning glory pressing into his stomach and knew that Ichigo could probably feel his against his thigh.

Together, they got up and began to get ready for the day of classes ahead of them. Both boys were glowing although Ichigo's mood was super chipper. Before they left to go to breakfast, Toshiro made a decision, and decided to share it with Ichigo.

"After exams are finished," He started, "I think we should try having sex."

"Try?"

"It might be difficult, I don't know, have you seen your penis?"

Ichigo burst out laughing as Toshiro frowned and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm being serious, you idiot," He growled, although he wasn't really mad, "It's massive and I'm just…not."

Ichigo managed to quell his laughter, although his grin was still huge. The strawberry pulled the smaller male into his arms, and Toshiro breathed deeply, taking in his boyfriend's freshly showered scent.

"Trying after exams sounds great, Baby," Ichigo murmured, pressing a light kiss onto Toshiro's forehead.

Toshiro sighed contentedly; exams started next week and ran for four weeks, and then that would be the academic year finished. Nothing to distract them or to worry about once it was over, and that seemed like the perfect time to focus on the physical milestone. _Yeah, they could manage another five weeks._

…

 **What do we think of this chapter? Please review xx**


	19. Final Exams

**It's really hit me this week that there aren't that many more chapters left to write of this fic, but LethanWolf, AKA Mosco, is campaigning hard for me to add chapters so we will see ;) ;)**

…

Chapter 19: Final Exams

Ichigo frantically clicked open another document of his study notes on his laptop. He knew he had typed up his notes on the human reproductive system somewhere but he had forgotten what he had named the file; it was one of the first topics they had studied, how was he supposed to remember what he called a document written ten months ago?!

To say he was stressed was an understatement; they were in the midst of exams and they no longer attended classes, their normal class time became study time and they only had to attend the actual exams. Everyone was on edge; tolerance plummeted and irritation levels were high. Friendship fights broke out, people had breakdowns in the corridors – Ichigo had even found Toshiro comforting a crying Rangiku outside the library doors one afternoon, the normally carefree and happy-go-lucky blonde suddenly overwhelmed by the amount of content she needed to know for the exams. The library was always packed with students now and had become a distracting environment in which Ichigo could not concentrate, hence why he often opted to stay in the dorm.

The only problem with staying in the dorm was having Toshiro around. Ichigo could feel his own irritations rise just thinking about it. He knew he was just stressed but he couldn't help the resentment that began to seep into his mind; Toshiro was a genius, a prodigy, and a straight-A student who'd never – _never_ – flunked out on anything he'd ever tried. It just wasn't fair; Ichigo worked hard too, why couldn't college be a breeze for him as well?

He looked over at the rapidly scribbling physics student and huffed. Toshiro didn't need to study; Ichigo didn't know why he even bothered. Innocent teal eyes flickered up at the sound and the white-haired boy looked a little taken aback. Ichigo must have been glaring.

"Are you okay, Ichigo?" Toshiro frowned, unconsciously swapping his pen from his left hand to his right like the perfect ambidextrous prodigy he was.

"Fine," Ichigo grunted.

"Do you need any help?" Toshiro blinked, obviously not understanding Ichigo's foul mood, "Maybe I could-"

"I don't need your help," Ichigo snapped, harsher than he meant to.

He looked away after seeing a flash of hurt in his boyfriend's eyes. He didn't mean to be snarky, and he adored Toshiro, but it was hard to compete with a genius whose IQ was well over 140 – with someone who should be in their last year of middle school but are actually in the second year of university studying one of the highest levels of science. Ichigo hadn't got the marks to enter straight into to medicine; he had to start in medical science and would have to transfer over, only if he could actually sustain high enough marks for the next three years of this degree. At this point, Toshiro could probably get better marks in the exams for Ichigo's course than the strawberry himself could.

The white haired prodigy wouldn't even need to try.

Suddenly a cup of tea was placed on the coffee table beside his laptop and Ichigo glanced up to see Toshiro taking a timid step back. He sighed internally, he shouldn't have snapped at his boyfriend – he hadn't done anything wrong.

"Thanks," Ichigo muttered, his mouth trying to smile but it probably didn't look any better than a pained grimace.

"It's hot," Toshiro murmured, gesturing to the mug of tea, swirls of steam floating magically out of the rim, "blow on it."

Ichigo nodded and returned his eyes to his computer screen. He felt Toshiro's eyes bore into him before the prodigy eventually backed off, returning to his own studies at the kitchen table.

Ichigo preferred to type his notes, as he was much faster at typing than writing, thus he was usually able to get take more notes during lectures. He also found it easier to have them all in one place when he was studying or doing assignments. It made his bag a lot lighter too, only having to carry around a thin laptop and the odd textbook, and it didn't matter if he forgot a pen or not, which was something he was pretty famous for. Toshiro, on the other hand, always hand wrote his notes. He claimed he found it faster since he was so proficient at writing in short hand, and also easier for him to draw diagrams, but Ichigo suspected he preferred to write them out because he could see them better.

Finally, Ichigo found the document he was looking for; that was the only downside to typing his notes – he needed to remember what he had named each document and remember where he saved it. Skimming through his notes, he picked up his tea, blowing softly over the top. Cringing at the terrible spelling and typos he'd made during his early lectures, he used one hand to edit and one to hold his tea. He brought the mug to his lips automatically as his eyes scanned through the dot points.

Suddenly he felt like his tongue was on fire and the nineteen year old thrusted the mug away from his mouth. The jolt of his actions caused at least half of the quantity of tea to slop out over the rim and onto his keyboard and his typing hand.

"Fuck!" Ichigo yelped, quickly placing the mug down on the coffee table, with most of the contents over his laptop and body.

He stared in shock at what had just happened before it clicked in his mind. Toshiro was already at his side, pulling Ichigo's arm away from his computer and placing a cold, wet cloth over it.

"Are you burnt?" The prodigy asked, inspecting the hand.

The orange-haired male ripped it from his grasp, and typed desperately on his keyboard. The screen had gone dark blue and then black, and then power lights had gone out.

He snatched the cloth out of Toshiro's hand and dabbed it gently on the keyboard, trying to soak up any leftover liquid, but it had sunk down underneath the keys.

"No, no, no, no," He whined, frustrated tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

This couldn't be happening.

A year's worth of hard work gone. Study notes he'd been looking at and preparing for the exams all gone.

His next exam was on Thursday morning and it was currently Tuesday night.

He was going to fail for sure now.

He was never going to get into medicine and he was never going to become a doctor.

All because of one cup of tea.

"Let me look at your hand," Toshiro was whispering in the background somewhere, "You need to run it under some cold water."

Ichigo stared blankly at his unresponsive computer. He'd tried turning it back on and the first time it had started but died again before finishing start up, and the second time it didn't even try to turn on. It was fried for sure. Everything was lost. He didn't have hard copies. He might have some saved on his USB but he couldn't be sure what was on there and he didn't have a computer to use to check. He could go to the library, but those computers were always in use these days.

"Please, Ichigo," Toshiro called again, "We need to treat your hand."

Seething with anger and frustration, stressed beyond believe, Ichigo turned to glare hard at his tiny boyfriend.

"I think you've helped enough tonight," He growled, pulling his destroyed laptop into his lap, "My laptop is broken."

"I can fix it," Toshiro supplied quickly, "It was just tea, it won't-"

"You can't fix this, Toshiro!" Ichigo yelled, his voice wavering, "It's dead, I've lost all of my notes, everything I've done this year is gone! Not everyone is a genius like you – I actually need to study."

The tears were still in his eyes and threatening to fall. He was just so stressed, and that was before when he had all of his notes in front of him. In the back of his mind, he knew it wasn't at all Toshiro's fault – he had only made the tea – in fact, he was angrier at himself than anything. He should have backed his notes up, he should have had hard copies and he most definitely shouldn't have been drinking hot tea over his electronic devices. His conscience was telling him to take it easy on his boyfriend – who had sunk back, his expression panicked – but he was just so furious with everything; Toshiro, himself, _the whole wide world tonight_.

"I'm sorry," Toshiro whispered, his voice strained.

"I need to study," Ichigo repeated, slamming the dead laptop back onto the coffee table and abruptly getting to his feet, "Don't interrupt me."

The first of his frustrated tears fell as he entered his bedroom and slammed the door behind him, the final image of Toshiro's watery eyes branded in his mind.

…

The next morning, Ichigo awoke feeling terrible.

After his sleep, he was better rested to put some of his exam stress in the backseat, the aching in his heart taking the lead. Why, why, _why_ had he snapped at Toshiro like that? It wasn't his fault, and it never had been.

He wanted to punch himself.

If someone had spoken to Toshiro that way in front of him, he would have decked the mongrel but it was Ichigo himself who had done it. He'd let the anger and frustrations he had at himself consume him and he had taken it out on his innocent little boyfriend. Toshiro had just been trying to help, and Ichigo felt his heart twang as he recalled how concerned the fifteen year old had been about his hand, and how quick he was to try and treat it, for which Ichigo had bitten off his head about.

He needed to fix this now.

Ichigo checked Toshiro's room and found it vacant and the bed made. Recalling the sound of the front door opening and shutting last night after he'd gone to bed, the medical science student wondered if Toshiro had even slept in the dorm last night.

He then checked the main room of the dorm. Toshiro's notes were gone, and the only mug in the sink was Ichigo's from last night which meant Toshiro hadn't had his night time tea last night or his morning tea today. The spilt tea on the coffee table had been mopped up, and where Ichigo's now broken laptop should have been sat Toshiro's laptop, and on top of it was a note. Ichigo leapt over the couch and snatched up the paper. It read:

' _Ichigo,_

 _I'm really sorry. I've taken your laptop to get fixed, you can use mine for now. Rukia said she'd email you her notes. Sorry again.'_

There was no name left and no cute 'x' marks, but it was undeniably Toshiro's slanted handwriting, and Ichigo had no problem reading it in his shy, remorse-filled voice, and it made him feel sick. He'd done that.

Quickly scooping up the laptop and his bag of textbooks, Ichigo bolted out the door and ran for the library. Maybe he'd find Toshiro there and he could make it right.

Toshiro wasn't there but Rangiku was, and Ichigo got a well-deserved smack in the face – figuratively, although the busty blonde looked close to actually doing it.

"I am so furious at you right now, Ichigo," Rangiku hissed across the table, "I can't believe you."

Ichigo ducked his head in shame, "I know, I know. I've fucked this up badly, haven't I?"

"Toshiro slept in my bed last night," Rangiku continued to glare, "He thinks you hate him and wanna break up now."

"I don't want that!" Ichigo exclaimed, "I was just so stressed and frustrated…"

"I don't give a fuck, Ichigo," She snapped, loudly enough for the librarian to shush her, "You speak to him like that again and I'll castrate you."

By the sincere look in her eyes, Ichigo didn't think Rangiku was kidding.

He hated himself right now.

After a while, Rangiku calmed down enough to have a civil conversation about it. Apparently Toshiro had arrived at her dorm late last night on the verge of tears. He stayed at her dorm, but Rangiku suspected he didn't actually sleep because for breakfast he had a cup of coffee and a red bull, while he muttered the lyrics to the Big Bang Theory's theme song, before he returned to the dorm, changed his clothes, swapped the laptops, and took Ichigo's to get fixed.

"Can it be fixed?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow; he was pretty positive that the device was fried.

"I'd say so," Rangiku muttered as she flicked through her business notes, "Tosh has done it to his own laptop enough times."

"He's spilt tea on his laptop before?"

Rangiku gestured to the laptop sitting in front of Ichigo, "That bad boy has survived at least three attacks. He's gotten good at fixing it himself now."

"He said he has taken mine to get fixed," Ichigo frowned, recalling the note his boyfriend had left, "He's not repairing it himself then?"

"I think he's too scared to touch yours," Rangiku shrugged casually, but there was a slight touch of venom in her voice, "He probably doesn't want you to think he is too smart."

Ichigo cringed; he was a fucking terrible boyfriend.

"He'd be in his exam right now," Rangiku informed him as Ichigo reached for his phone to call the prodigy, just hoping to hear his voice.

Ichigo sighed, sinking back in his chair, slumping forward over the desk. He folded his arms on the table and rested his head upon them. He wanted to cry again. He needed to study so badly but all he could think about was Toshiro and how desperately needed to fix this and hold that little body in his arms again. He couldn't even think about his anatomy exam that was in less than twenty-four hours with the bile that was sitting in the back of his throat.

"Look, Ichigo," Rangiku sighed, her voice soft as she spoke, "I know you were stressed last night, I know you need to get high marks to become a doctor, but that doesn't mean Toshiro has to cope it. He's stressed too, you know, he has to sustain A range marks to keep his scholarship, which he needs now since Momo's mother won the money from Granny's will."

Ichigo said nothing as he sat in his chair of shame. Hana had indeed won the case for the money, so Toshiro would need to keep his scholarship, lest he take out a student loan or worse, drop out.

"I know it's hard comparing yourself to him," The blonde continued, "I'm his best friend and you don't think I get jealous of how smart he is?"

Ichigo glanced up Rangiku, surprised that she'd care about something like that. She rarely seemed to give two fucks about her studies.

"I'd kill to be that intelligent," she chuckled, "But you can't put him down for something like that. Toshiro has a gift, and he should be proud of it. Instead, he spent all of his schooling life being bullied for it. He hates being smart. You know, he's only failed one exam in his life, and it was on purpose to get people off his back."

"Really?"

"Yeah, back in high school, Granny tore him to shreds about that. He's gotten top marks ever since."

Ichigo sighed; he felt like such a dick.

"What time does his exam finish?" asked the orange-haired male, "Maybe I'll go find him."

Rangiku shook her head, "I don't think you'll have time. He has another exam this afternoon, and the work tonight."

Groaning, Ichigo sat back up and ran his hand down his face. He just wanted to see Toshiro now and hold him.

"There is nothing you can do right now," Rangiku murmured, sensing her friend's internal struggles, "Just send him a text saying you're sorry for now, he can read it so he doesn't spend the day thinking you hate him, and then when he gets home from work, you can talk it out properly then… And if I see him, I'll let him know that you spent the whole morning moping around the library."

"I'm not moping."

"Yes, you are. Maybe you should just focus on studying for now and give yourselves a bit of space."

Well, he didn't have any better ideas himself. Resigned, he opened Toshiro's laptop, turned it on and pulled out his phone while the computer went through its start-up process.

' _Baby, I'm sorry I was so angry last night, I didn't mean to snap at you. Please call me when you can, otherwise I'll see you tonight xx'_

He sent the text to Toshiro and hoped for the best. It was a shitty apology, but it was the best he could do for now. He would make it up to the younger teen when he saw him. Maybe he could take them out for dinner?

Thinking about the different options he could use to make things right with Toshiro, Ichigo turned back to the laptop. Password required. Shit, he hadn't thought about that, and neither had Toshiro apparently. There was no way he could guess it either. Luckily, Rangiku was always using the prodigy's laptop when she was over – mostly to catch up on shitty reality TV – so there was a good chance she'd know the password.

"Do you know his password, Ran?"

A sly smirk appeared on her face, and Ichigo raised an eyebrow. _Oh lord, what was it?_

"If he hasn't changed it since the last time I got hold of it…" Rangiku drawled, "Try 'kiss me Ichigo' – no spaces, capital 'I' for Ichigo."

"No way," Ichigo chuckled, typing in 'kissmeIchigo' and pressing enter.

Password accepted.

"You made that his password?" Ichigo laughed, smiling for the first time today, "And he let you?"

"Oh yes, I've changed his password loads of times," Rangiku giggled, "I think he's just given up changing it back now. Before 'kiss me Ichigo', it was 'Rangiku is da bomb diggity' – no spaces, capital 'R'."

"Rangiku is da bomb diggity," Ichigo repeated slowly, a frown of distaste upon his face, "Really?"

The strawberry blonde shrugged with a small giggle.

Ichigo sighed and got to work. He logged into his emails and found that Rukia had indeed emailed her copies of their notes to him, and he texted her to thank her. She must have known something was up because she asked if he was doing okay and if he wanted to study with her. He agreed and about an hour later, the raven-haired girl arrived at the library to help him study. Rangiku had sauntered off at some stage, mentioning something about getting sushi and a smoothie.

As Rukia and Ichigo worked through their notes together, Ichigo began to feel a lot better about his chances in the exams. He still had his guilt over last night in the back of his mind, but at least one aspect of his stress was being slowly quelled.

Unsurprisingly, Rukia was also a good set of ears, listening to his recount of last night's disaster. She was pretty neutral; she called Ichigo an idiot playfully but unlike Rangiku, she didn't threaten to neuter him. Rangiku was insanely protective of the white-haired genius, so Rukia's more impartial view was rather welcomed. She also informed him that she and Renji had been arguing like crazy lately; the stress of exams taking its toll on pretty much everyone, and that made Ichigo feel slightly better. In fact, things between him and Tosh were just sunny compared to the dramas with Momo and Izuru, according to Rukia who had heard it from Renji.

The younger Kuchki was also a great aid in helping Ichigo figure out what he could do to make it up to Toshiro, and the nineteen year old left the library with a plan, as well as more confident feeling about tomorrow's exam.

…

Taking a step back from the kitchen table, Ichigo admired his own handiwork. The dorm looked great. There was just a few touches left to complete and by that time, Toshiro would hopefully be home.

It was Thursday, and finally the dreaded anatomy exam was behind him, leaving him with only one exam left to complete on Wednesday of next week. When Ichigo had left the exam room, he felt fairly confident he'd achieved, at the very least, a high range B grade, and that was more than he was expecting after the drama of the last 48 hours.

He still hadn't been able to talk to Toshiro, the prodigy seemed to be avoiding him, and Ichigo couldn't blame him. The previous night, after his session at the library with Rukia, Ichigo had been doing more study and unfortunately fell asleep before Toshiro had arrived home from work. The orange-haired student smiled, remembering how he had woken up on the couch with a blanket pulled up to his shoulders and one of his bedroom pillows placed underneath his head; no doubt the work of his golden-hearted boyfriend.

Ichigo had been in a bit of a rush to shower, eat some toast and get to the exam on time, but he sneaked a quick peak in Toshiro's bedroom and found the small prodigy passed out on top of his bed, still in the clothes he would have worn to work. It was another minor kick to the gut for Ichigo, knowing the little genius had probably been so exhausted from not sleeping the night before, completing two exams and then heading into work to run Rangiku's boss' hair salon. Ichigo then retrieved the blanket from couch and draped it over the boy, hoping the gesture would put his boyfriend's mind at ease when he woke up.

Ichigo had gone straight home to his father's place after the exam, hoping to gain Yuzu's help in his surprise for Toshiro. He'd spent a couple of hours there before returning to a once again empty dorm.

Not knowing where the fifteen year old had wandered off to now, he simply texted the boy, asking if he would be home tonight. To his surprise, Toshiro had actually replied with a 'yes'. It was a very dry response but Ichigo still felt his heart flutter; he could finally sort this out and put the whole thing behind him.

Moving around the dorm, Ichigo made his final touches. He flicked off the main lights and observed the set up. The dorm was romantically lit with candles, the sweet aromas of lavender, vanilla and chamomile wafted subtly around the room. The kitchen table had been set for an intimate dinner for two; Ichigo just need to heat up Yuzu's famous pasta dish – "You can't go wrong with Italian, Ichigo, haven't you seen _'The Lady and The Tramp'_?"

Well with two younger sisters, of course he had. He didn't think Toshiro would appreciate the strawberry sucking up his pasta though, but at the very least, Yuzu was right about Italian food having an air of romance about it.

A vase of flowers also sat on the table beside their plates; Ichigo wasn't sure if Toshiro would even like flowers as a gift, but he knew they probably couldn't hurt.

The dinner was not the biggest surprise to come though. He'd done a lot of work this afternoon to try and pull this off, and he hoped the prodigy will like it.

The sound of keys in the door caught Ichigo's attention and he spun around to see Toshiro entering the dorm, Ichigo's laptop tucked safely under his arm. The older male grinned as his younger boyfriend stopped dead in his tracks and he observed the romantic set up.

"Ichigo?" Toshiro turned to look at the strawberry questioningly.

Ichigo strode across the dorm and pulled the boy into his arms. He felt Toshiro's sharp intake of breath and felt his muscles tense up, but Ichigo held on, desperately inhaling that refreshing winter scent that he'd taken for granted.

"I'm so sorry, baby," Ichigo murmured into soft snowy locks, "It wasn't your fault, and I was a dick to you."

Toshiro relaxed a little into the warm hold, and a after a brief pause, he mumbled, "Your laptop is fixed, and all your documents are accounted for."

Ichigo pushed away his delight at the news he still had all of his notes and a working laptop again.

"Thank you, but I don't care about that," Ichigo's hands slipped under the prodigy's shirt and rubbed soothing circles onto the boy's soft skin, "I care about you, and I can't believe I hurt you. I'm so sorry, Toshiro."

"Don't be," Toshiro's free arm wound around Ichigo's waist, timidly at first before tightening slightly, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Cutting off the younger male, Ichigo pulled back a little, hooked a finger under Toshiro's chin and guided their lips together swiftly. He tried to pour all the emotions he'd been feeling the last few days into that kiss; the stress, the frustration, the remorse and guilt, and especially the desperation he felt to have Toshiro in his arms once more. It seemed Toshiro had been feeling pretty similar; Ichigo could feel his own desperation, and the worry he had experienced, and still a bit of guilt over the incident. Ichigo pulled out of the kiss slowly, pressing his forehead to Toshiro's own.

"You didn't do anything wrong," Ichigo whispered, swallowing a pant after the kiss, "I love that you're smart, please let me make this up to you."

Eventually, Toshiro gave a small nod, and pressed his lips softly against Ichigo's. The strawberry was glad to have the boy initiate the kiss; they would be okay.

He heated up Yuzu's pasta and served it before taking his seat opposite Toshiro. He reached out a hand across the table and Toshiro held it. They did their best to eat with their free hands, but ended up making a bit of a mess, though neither of them seemed to care. Toshiro had inspected Ichigo's hand for burns, but luckily it wasn't too bad, and the redness had faded over the previous night. They talked about their exams; well Ichigo did, and Toshiro eyes lit up in happiness when Ichigo admitted he felt rather good about his chances with the anatomy paper.

"You need to have more faith in yourself, Ichigo," Toshiro murmured, his thumb tracing Ichigo's knuckles unconsciously, "You're intelligent and passionate about your course, you'll always do well."

Ichigo blushed at the comment, and Toshiro smirked at the colour rising in his cheeks. 'Intelligent' wasn't a word often used to describe him.

Eventually, Ichigo managed to get a bit of information out of Toshiro regarding his own exams. He had a feeling the genius was still holding back a little, probably not trying to sound too smart, and Ichigo had to stop his smile from faltering; he needed Toshiro to know that being a genius was a gift he should be proud of.

"Oh the chemistry paper was fine, I think," Toshiro mumbled, playing with the last bit of pasta on his plate, "Maths was hard though… I don't think I'll get an A."

"You will, I'm sure," Ichigo tried to smile reassuringly, "You're amazing at maths."

Toshiro nodded once before adding, "I thought Renji was going to cry… and Izuru actually did."

"Oh," Ichigo replied dumbly, trying to picture his very buff, very straight pineapple friend almost in tears over an exam and a blubbering mess of his blonde friend. Actually, Izuru crying was a little easier to imagine, since Ichigo had seen him come close a few times following fights with his girlfriend.

It seemed Toshiro was genuinely worried about his results and not just saying it to make Ichigo feel better, so the strawberry pulled the boy out of his chair and into his lap and held him, just like he had wanted to for the last two days. Apparently he wasn't the only one who stressed out over exams; although the snow-crowned prodigy was better at supressing it. They stayed that way for a long time, Ichigo whispering sweet words of encouragement into the boy's ear and he could feel Toshiro becoming tired as he played aimless with one the flowers sticking a little too far out of the vase.

"Come on," Ichigo patted Toshiro's thigh, "Get up, I have another surprise for you."

He guided Toshiro over to the couch and sat him down with a blanket. Ichigo swept through the room, blowing out the candles one by one, until they were all out. He stumbled back towards the couch and felt around as he sat beside Toshiro, pulling the boy back onto his lap.

"Ichigo?"

"Look up, babe."

Toshiro did as he was told and Ichigo grinned when he heard the gasp of surprise. The nineteen year old pressed a chaste kiss onto the boy's forehead as he gazed up at the roof. Ichigo had gone to the shops and found sheets of glow-in-the-dark star stickers, and had the idea of sticking them to the ceiling of the dorm. He looked up to see what his boyfriend – the future astrophysicist – was seeing. Hundreds of tiny stars littered the roof, glowing subtly. They weren't bright enough to light up the whole room, but they gave a genuine feeling of lying outside under the real stars, an activity of which was not ideal during this harsh winter. Eventually, his eyes adjusted to the dark and he could just make out Toshiro's amazed expression; his lips slightly apart, his eyes bright and wide.

"God, you're beautiful," Ichigo whispered, pressing another kiss to his boyfriend's head.

Toshiro tilted his head back, and soon they were locking lips in another slow, loving exchange. One of Toshiro's small hands found their way to Ichigo's neck, cupping his jaw a little and pulling the strawberry man closer. The younger of the two opened his mouth a little, and Ichigo slipped his tongue in. Every stroke of his tongue, every movement in his lips and every touch of his hands was measured and deliberate. He needed Toshiro to know how he really felt about him without saying it. There was a word – a short, four-lettered word with a heavy meaning – that sat on the tip of his tongue waiting to be said. He wanted to, oh God, he really wanted to say it out loud, but he sensed Toshiro wasn't quite ready for it. That was fine; he could wait for that too.

They pulled back for a bit of oxygen, and Toshiro slumped tiredly into Ichigo's chest. The nineteen year old chuckled a little, wrapping one arm around the boy, while the other hand felt around blindly for the TV remote. He found it and flicked on the television, _Captain America: Civil War_ was already in the DVD player and ready to roll.

A marvel film and his gorgeous roommate tucked against his chest; this certainly took him back. This time was better though, because now he could call the young prodigy his, and pull him completely into his lap and of course, now he could kiss Toshiro, and he did…several times, in fact.

The white-haired male didn't make it too far into the movie and Ichigo knew the boy was fast asleep in his arms; the deep, even breathing against his chest was a comforting sort of nice, and the warm, limp body curled against him was something he could never hate.

He sighed and flicked off the TV; they could watch the rest in the morning, as they were both exam free until next week.

Ichigo managed to stand, pulling the almost weightless body into him arms and carried Toshiro straight to bed. He managed to worm the boy's jeans off, figuring he'd be comfortable enough in just his t-shirt, before pulling the covers up over the boy and turning to walk out the room.

"Stay, Ichigo,"

The orange-haired male turned to see that Toshiro hadn't moved a muscle, although it was definitely his voice that called out to him. He had talked in his sleep again.

Asleep or not, Ichigo didn't have the heart to turn down the innocent request – nor did he want to – and so he stripped off his own jeans and climbed into the bed, pulling the warm body close. He closed his eyes and exhaled. There were no more doubts or questions; he knew in his heart how he felt;

 _He loved Toshiro Hitsugaya._

…

 **Apologies for the fluff-overload in that last scene; Ichigo wrote it, not me.**

 **Also, fun story (actually not at all fun), when I was still in school, I left an assignment to the night before – as everyone does at school – I was so stressed and about half way through, I spilt tea on my laptop and it did exactly as Ichigo's did. There were definitely tears, but my lovely brother let me (was forced to) use his laptop and although I didn't even touch my bed that night, I did get it completed and also got semi-decent marks. My laptop did get fixed and it's the one I use today. So there you have it, the moral here is don't drink tea over your laptop.**

 **Also, don't leave assignments to the night before.**

 **Geishaaa out ~~~**


	20. Last Night

Chapter 20: Last Night

"So tonight's the night, huh?"

"Yeah, I.. I think so."

"Nervous?"

"Pfft, n-no."

"Bullshit."

Ichigo groaned and stalked away from a giggling Rangiku. Why was that damn woman always up-to-date with his relationship progress?

Because Toshiro was her best friend and she was a superb interrogator.

Ichigo figured Rangiku would probably do well working for the Japanese federal police, or even a secret service; no one would suspect her, and she'd get the information she'd need at the drop of a hat, or the drop of her bra for some men… and some women too, probably.

The worst part was that this was only the beginning; Ichigo and Toshiro hadn't even had sex yet! He dreaded the day when she knew all about that particular venture of theirs. As it was, the first time he seen her after New Year's, she'd greeted him by saying, "Oh hey, Ichigo! I heard you give amazing blow jobs!" Ichigo had been so caught off guard and flustered, he'd dropped everything he'd been holding and tripped over his own feet trying to pick it all back up. The sound of the big breasted blonde's hysterical laughter still echoed tauntingly in the back of his mind.

He could have bitten back. He could have found out about her night with Chad and used it against her, but there in lay two problems; firstly, Chad would never talk, and Secondly, Rangiku wouldn't care, in fact, she'd be rather keen to discuss it. Oh, and a third problem; Ichigo didn't actually want to hear about it. Toshiro had heard about it though; Rangiku had given him a blow-by-blow recount of the event, much to his distress. Ichigo recalled Toshiro bursting into the dorm room, slamming the door behind him and locking it securely, triple checking to ensure it was, in fact, locked, before diving into Ichigo's lap. He was pale and trembling, "If Rangiku comes, don't let her in! I don't care what you tell her, just don't let her in!"

The poor boy had been traumatised.

Ichigo ducked out of the random dorm room he'd found Rangiku in and legged it down the hallway, trying to put as much distance as possible between them. Currently there was a massive party being held in the boarding house. Tonight was the last night of his first year of university. The final bout of exams had been held that afternoon, and tomorrow all boarding students were expected to vacate their dorms; official eviction time was midday tomorrow. It was hard to believe that a whole year had passed since he'd finished high school.

The party was to celebrate a number of things; surviving another year of university, finishing exams, and of course, the upcoming month-long spring-break between academic years. Ichigo was incredibly excited to have a month off to relax a little, and gather his thoughts after the hectic exam period. He'd discovered that stress really brought out the worst in him, as Toshiro had copped it a few weeks ago, thus he was determined to work through that; studying harder, organising his notes better and regularly working out. Hopefully, it would reduce some of the stress for next year. His dad would give him some hands on experience at the clinic too, to help close the gap between him and his dream of becoming a doctor. It would also be nice having Toshiro around for the holidays. Ichigo was thinking about organising a short trip away from them.

Speaking of the little white-haired beauty, Ichigo found Toshiro playing poker in a dorm on level three while Rukia and Renji hovered excitedly behind him.

"Hey Baby," Ichigo murmured, leaning down to kiss the boy on the temple as he reached the small group, "What's going on here?"

"Rukia lost all her money playing poker," Toshiro smirked, glancing up at Ichigo, "And then Renji lost all his trying to win her money back. I'm getting it back for them both."

Ichigo chuckled, observing his two friends who were looking both guilty and ashamed of themselves. He stood behind Toshiro's chair and leant over it, wrapping his arms around the thin chest and propping his chin upon his boyfriend's soft snow-coloured crown. His cards were face down on the table but Ichigo didn't need to see them to know they were the winning hand. He'd been burned before; Toshiro may look innocent but it was all a lie. In the middle of the table was a massive cash pile; there was easily enough cash to win back Rukia and Renji's money – as they informed him – plus earn Toshiro more than two week's pay at the salon. There were also other bits and bobs thrown in as the players obviously ran out of cash; condoms, cigarettes, even a bottle of rum was thrown in. The strawberry glanced up at the three other competitors; there was one guy he recognised from his biology class and two others he'd seen around before but didn't know their names. Those poor bastards wouldn't know what hit them.

"Anyone else want to raise the bet?" one of the random players asked the table.

They all shook their heads in response and picked up their cards off the table. Ichigo held his breath and he heard Renji and Rukia inhale sharply beside him. The large pile of cash had attracted a fair bit of attention and now the small kitchen table was surrounded by an audience. After a silent three seconds passed, all four players flipped their cards and everyone lent over to inspect them.

"Flush, straight flush, full house and… is that a royal flush?!"

All heads turned to look at Toshiro's cards. It was a royal flush, _of course it was_ , what else but the highest possible hand would Toshiro have sitting casually on the table? Rukia and Renji cheered and high fived, other audience members clapped if they weren't friends with other players and the other three contestants sat dumbstruck, staring openly at the winning hand with their jaws dropped. Ichigo chuckled as Toshiro grinned, reaching over the table and pulling his giant pile towards him. He counted the bank notes and handed a small wad to Rukia and a bigger stack to Renji. He chucked the cigarettes back to across the table and the other three boys pounced on them. He handed one condom to Renji with a wink, and stored the rest in Ichigo's front pockets with a sly smirk, the strawberry blushed a little at the bold insinuation.

Rangiku had been right; today was the night.

Exams were finally over – Ichigo having finished his earlier in the week and Toshiro finishing that morning – and they were free to take the next step forward in their relationship; sexual intercourse. In truth, Ichigo was feeling a little nervous now; it had been built up for so long, and what if he wasn't actually good at it? Or worse, what if he hurt Toshiro during it? He did have a quite a big dick and Toshiro had a tiny frame, of course there was going to be pain involved. What if it was so painful that Toshiro wouldn't want to do it again? He didn't want to ruin it for the boy. Ichigo himself had no idea what he was really doing, having only fucked one girl in high school while he was drunk off tequila. Another male was a whole new ball game – _literally, balls_ – and despite all the research he'd done (read: watching large amounts of porn), it was a completely different thing to actually do it yourself.

Toshiro stood up, stuffing the cash into his pockets and tucking the bottle of rum under his arm. He held up a few bank notes to Ichigo's eye level before reaching behind him and shoving them in the back pockets of Ichigo's jeans.

"Buy yourself something nice, Gorgeous," Toshiro purred, winking and patting Ichigo's ass before sauntering out of the room.

Ichigo stared uncomprehending at the empty space in front of him for a few short seconds as he processed what had just occurred before snapping his head towards the door and taking off after Toshiro. He caught up with the prodigy half way down the hall.

Toshiro was in the process of opening the rum bottle and sniffing it, before taking a quick swig. He'd obviously dropped his no alcohol policy for tonight's celebrations, but Ichigo could tell he wasn't drunk. Tipsy perhaps though, as Ichigo considered the last few minutes of his life. It seemed that tipsy Tosh was a flirty Tosh; and the strawberry was kind of excited to meet this new side of his boyfriend.

"Where are we going, Babe?" Ichigo ventured, his voice mingled with mischief.

If Toshiro heard the cheekiness, he was ignoring it, or possibly just rising to the challenge.

"Back to the dorm," He responded expressionlessly, "I want to dump the cash, have a glass of rum and suck you off."

Ichigo faltered in his steps and stumbled a bit, "Y-you, what?"

Toshiro stopped and spun on the spot, and Ichigo almost walked into him.

"I'm kidding," Toshiro answered, smiling reassuring, before grasping Ichigo's hand with his free one and tugging him up the stairs to level four.

"We'll save that for later," the prodigy added over his shoulder, "For the foreplay before you fuck me tonight."

Okay, Toshiro was definitely teasing him now.

"Who are you and what have you done with my boyfriend?" Ichigo narrowed his eyes suspiciously, but if he was being honest, he quite liked this flirty, confident version of Toshiro.

Toshiro came to another halt, his face contorting in confusion as he actually considered Ichigo's rhetorical question.

"Rangiku gave me a red bull," Toshiro shrugged, resuming his fast paced walk, "It tasted funny."

 _Fucking Rangiku_ , of course it was her, it was _always_ her.

"Vodka?"

"Jaeger, I think."

"Oh boy," Ichigo grinned, "You're drunk."

"Just tipsy, thank you," Toshiro scolded, as the finally reached the door labelled 406.

The young genius had his hands full so Ichigo fished out his own key and opened the door for them. Toshiro went straight to his room to tuck away his new wad of cash, leaving Ichigo to pour them two glasses of the rum. He added a couple of ice cubes, more for Toshiro's benefit than anything, before placing them on the kitchen table. Toshiro emerged from his room, and – Ichigo really shouldn't have been surprised – plopped himself right in the strawberry's lap. Ichigo handed him a glass of rum.

"You put ice in it!" Toshiro exclaimed happily, reaching up and kissing Ichigo's cheek, "You're so considerate, Ichigo, have I ever told you that?"

Ichigo chuckled, "You put ice in everything, Babe."

Toshiro really did put ice in everything, even in his tea so it would cool down quicker.

"Because ice is good," Toshiro murmured, nodding to himself, "Really good. Like you."

"Oh?" Ichigo grinned at his cute little boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his waist and pulling him closer. He nuzzled his head into boy's neck.

"Let me show you," Toshiro said, and Ichigo didn't need to see the sly grin to know it was there.

He looked up in confusion as Toshiro shifted his position on Ichigo's lap and immediately latched his lips onto his neck. Ichigo moaned instantly; Toshiro had an ice cube in his mouth as his lips worked their way up his throat. It was a surprisingly good feeling; he would have thought that the coldness would be a bit of a turn off but according to the blood rushing to his groin, it was actually very erotic, and for a lack of a better term, _hot_.

Ichigo cupped Toshiro's cheek and guided their lips together. He hummed, savouring the taste of Toshiro's cold, rum-flavoured lips, before gently poking his tongue out a little and silently asking for entrance. Toshiro opened up against him and Ichigo's tongue delved in and swept the rapidly melting cube into his own mouth. Naturally, Toshiro's tongue followed immediately, looking for its lost prize. They passed it back and forth between them a few times, making a game out of hiding it under their tongues for the other to find, before it finally melted. They continued to kiss passionately, even after the ice was gone; Toshiro's arms were around Ichigo's neck and the strawberry was squeezing his boyfriend's ass and thigh. A moan tore from Toshiro's mouth and prodigy shifted again, so now he was straddling Ichigo over the chair. There was a soft crinkling sound in Ichigo's pockets as the poker game condoms were jostled.

"I like this confident side of you," Ichigo murmured breathlessly, leaning down to press a few kisses on his boyfriend's slender neck.

Toshiro's hips ground against Ichigo in response and Ichigo released a strangled moan.

He grinned to himself; _well, two could play at that game_. He reached behind Toshiro and fished out another cube of ice from his drink, popping it between his lips but not taking it fully into his mouth. He returned to kissing along Toshiro's neck and jaw line, making sure to hit the areas he knew were extra sensitive. Toshiro's erection pressed against his own as he continued to grind against him, moaning and panting. Ichigo knew he had hit Toshiro's most sensitive area when the boy faltered in his movements, chucked his head back and moaned wantonly into the empty dorm.

Ichigo took the ice out of his mouth, "Good?"

Toshiro's eyes were closed as he continued to pant, but he nodded anyway. Teal eyes flickered open gradually.

"So good," the young prodigy eventually answered, swallowing some much needed oxygen, "So, so, soooo good."

Ichigo chuckled at the boy's lustful, yet adorable, behaviour, "God, I love you, Toshiro."

Toshiro's body froze against him. Ichigo froze too, replaying his last line in his head several times. 'God, I love you, Toshiro'.

 _God, I love you, Toshiro_.

He'd just said 'love'.

He dropped the L word without thinking.

"What did you say?" Toshiro asked incredulously, pulling back to stare hard at Ichigo.

"N-nothing," Ichigo stammered; he was such an idiot! Toshiro wasn't ready to hear that, let alone say it in return.

Intense teal irises bore into his own brown eyes, and Ichigo's heart hammered against his chest. Toshiro's eyes had always been piercing but this was a whole new level. It felt like they were hot lasers shooting holes right through his body, like they were x-ray machines that could see not only his skeletal frame but his thoughts and feelings. Ichigo waited for the onslaught of Toshiro's discomfort.

"You said 'God, I love you, Toshiro'."

"No, I didn't"

"Yes, you did."

"Nope, wasn't me."

"Ichigo!" Toshiro snapped loudly, "Don't fucking deny it."

Ichigo bit back a whimper. Toshiro had never raised his voice or snapped at him like that before, or not since they'd been dating anyway. It was scary.

Toshiro sat back on Ichigo's thighs; they were still in this sexual position but all the arousal had flooded out.

"Did you mean it?" Toshiro asked; there was still a tinge of irritation to his voice and his face was devoid of emotion, "Or was it just a heat-of-the-moment sort of thing?"

"I-" Ichigo began but he didn't know what to say.

What was the right answer here?

The truth: Of course he meant it. He loved Toshiro very, very much. He wanted to be with him forever, and grow up together and get married and raise a family and get old.

The lie: No, it was just the moment getting the best of him. They could have a little laugh about it and move on, and say it in a year's time or whenever Toshiro was ready for it.

Toshiro didn't wait for him to decide; Ichigo's indecision and stumble over his words was indication enough for him apparently as he slid off Ichigo's lap and headed towards the front door.

"Let me know when you figure it out," Toshiro murmured as he twisted the door handle, and slipped into the hallway without glancing back.

…

Ichigo bounded up the stairs and searched rapidly through the open dorm rooms for his boyfriend. Open doors indicated social dorms, and usually they all had their own thing going on. Shuuhei's dorm (510) had become the beer pong room, 509 was the dance room, 420 was the 'high room' where people smoked (they'd disabled the smoke detectors long ago), 312 was poker, 307 was drinking games such as Never Have I Ever, level two usually took on a chilled vibe across the whole floor, and became the casual hang out area if you just wanted to talk to friends or whatever. There were many dorms with their own speciality, Toshiro could have been anywhere.

Ichigo's first stop had been Rangiku's dorm on level two, but Nanao was the only one there and she informed the strawberry that she hadn't seen her roommate since she'd headed up to level five a few hours ago. With no other lead, Ichigo sped up three flights of stairs; of all the facilities KTU had, they couldn't be bothered to put a damn elevator in the boarding house?!

He decided to tell Toshiro the truth; he loved him. Maybe Toshiro wasn't ready but he deserved to know the truth over a weak lie, and Ichigo didn't want him to think he just said that particular phrase willy-nilly. It was time to bite the bullet and cop whatever the prodigy was going to throw at him. He wanted to get it over and done with too, not dragging it out over two days like the laptop drama a few weeks ago.

"Rukia!" Ichigo called down the hallway, having seen his young Kuchki friend emerging from Shuuhei's beer pong game room, "Rukia!"

She turned towards him as he continued to run towards. Upon reaching her, he bent over and put his hands on his knees and panted; _fuck, he'd gotten so unfit during the exam period_. The music from 509 directly opposite them was blaring loudly – despite the room owners' efforts to sound proof the room – and Ichigo had to stand very close to Rukia for them to hear each other.

"Have you…" He breathed heavily, "Have you seen Tosh?"

"I might have; why?" She raised an eyebrow at his breathing struggles, "What's happened?"

"I told him I loved him."

"And?"

"And he asked if I was serious or not and I didn't answer."

"Why not?"

"I wasn't sure if he'd want to hear the truth or not."

"What's the truth then?"

"I do love him."

"You're an idiot, Ichigo," Rukia chuckled, her lips twitching upwards in amusement.

"I know," Ichigo sighed, "Can you please tell me where I can find him?"

Rukia opened her mouth to answer but before she could, Toshiro burst out Shuuhei's dorm door, almost crashing into Ichigo, and looking rather panicked. He managed to stop just in time not to hit the strawberry but Ichigo reached out the steady him anyway.

"I was coming to look for you," Toshiro said hurriedly.

"Likewise," Ichigo responded.

He glanced up at Rukia but the girl had sunk further down the hallway, probably looking for her trouble-making boyfriend and giving the two boys space.

"Can we go somewhere quiet?" Ichigo gazed at Toshiro, looking for answers in the boy's expression and body language, but the panicked look from before had disappeared and the old stoic features were in place.

Toshiro nodded, and grasped Ichigo's hand, dragging him back towards the stairs. Instead of down, they went up; the only thing on top of level five was the roof they'd watched Saturn at all those months ago. They pushed the heavy door open and walked out onto the roof, cold February air hitting them forcefully. As soon as they were in the middle of the roof, Toshiro turned around and pushed himself against Ichigo, wrapping his arms tightly around the berry's waist.

"I'm sorry I snapped at you," Toshiro mumbled against him, "We don't have to discuss it if you don't want to."

"No, I owe you an answer," Ichigo returned the hug, "I didn't think you were ready to hear it, but the truth is that I meant it. I meant it very much."

A beat of silence passed before Toshiro spoke up, "Granny was the only person who ever said that to me. I take it very seriously."

"So do I," Ichigo hurried to explain himself, "Yes, I did blurt it out in the heat of the moment, but it's still true. I realised it a few weeks ago."

More silence passed before Ichigo realised Toshiro wasn't answering.

"I love you, Toshiro Hitsugaya," He murmured into snowy locks, "I mean it."

Wind rustled the tree leaves, and the deep bass throbbed a level below them.

"I love you too, Ichigo," Toshiro said softly, tipping his head back to look into Ichigo's eyes.

Ichigo's breath caught in his throat, "You do?"

"Yeah," Toshiro nodded slowly, a light pink developing in his cheeks, "I do."

Ichigo smiled; Toshiro loved him, he loved Toshiro. Tonight they would give themselves over to each other and that was an incredible feeling. He leant down and pressed their lips together, pouring his honest feelings into one sweet, chaste kiss.

He pulled back when he felt Toshiro shiver against him; it was freezing out here.

"Come on," He said, tugging Toshiro back towards the door, "Let's get you back inside. Do you fancy a dance?"

…

Ichigo pressed his body against Toshiro's, intentionally grinding their pelvises together as they moved to the deep bass. The white-haired prodigy's moan was silent against the loud music, but Ichigo could see his teal eyes darkening and his jaw clenching. The strawberry got goosebumps as Toshiro's nimble hands ran up his sides, tickling his ribs, before winding around his neck and pulling his face down to be almost level with that of his small boyfriend's. The prodigy rose onto his tip toes and pressed their lips firmly together. He wasted no time swiping his tongue along Ichigo's lips and the older male gasped, letting his boyfriend into his mouth immediately. Ichigo's hands found Toshiro's hips; somehow they were still swaying to the music despite the tongue battle going on between them.

This was probably the first time they'd ever danced together – not that it was really dancing, they were just grinding up against each other rhythmically like everyone else in the room. They were in dorm 509. The dorm tenants – two first year arts students – turned their living space into a nightclub-style dancefloor during the boarding house parties. They'd really upped the ante since the last dorm party; the home-made lasers from the engineering students had increased in quantity and quality and now they also had a very intense strobe light. One of the boys worked as a DJ on the weekends, so he had a lot of professional music equipment too, and had a sweet collection of the latest dance tracks. They removed the kitchen table and the coffee table, as well as pushed back the sofa and chairs to line the room – and block the bedroom doors – acquiring more seats and bean bags, so that people could sit on the outside of the room.

It had also gained a bit of a reputation as a hook-up feeding ground. Ichigo had discovered that to be true just moments ago when he dragged Toshiro in to dance with him; numerous couples were locked in hot and heavy make out sessions around the room. Every now and again, a couple would leave the room holding hands, and by their expressions, it was pretty obvious what they were going off to do.

Ichigo moaned into the kiss; his growing erection rapidly becoming painful in his tight jeans. Toshiro's firm body felt so good against him. They were pressed flush against each other on the crowded 'dancefloor' but Ichigo wanted to be closer. He pushed towards his gorgeous boyfriend, and stepped forward again and again until he felt them reach a wall. Their hips ground together once more and both boys pulled out of the kiss to try and supress loud groans that bubbled in their throats. Not that it mattered; nothing could be heard over the intense bass and rhythm, and nobody noticed because everyone in the room was locked in their own sessions.

Ichigo's hands drifted over Toshiro's tight ass, squeezing a little, before tucking under the back of his thighs and lifting the light prodigy up and back against the wall. Legs wrapped around his waist and pulled him into Toshiro's body once more. They reconnected their lips immediately.

After their confessions earlier, Ichigo had been waiting to be able to ravish the little prodigy again, building up to their activity later tonight, but they'd run in to Rukia again. She was accompanied by Renji this time, and so the two couples had hung out for a while, grabbing a bite to eat in Rukia's dorm and sharing the good news of Ichigo and Toshiro's declarations of love. The kissing and cuddling was great, but Ichigo was getting desperate for more. This was their last night in the dorm, after all.

Toshiro pulled out of this kiss, and latched his mouth onto Ichigo's neck. The strawberry hummed his approval as the boy worked up his throat and along his jaw line before nibbling gently on his earlobe. Ichigo shuddered when he felt Toshiro's hot breath in his ear.

"Ichigo," Toshiro purred, "I need you."

 _Oh fuck_ , that voice was almost enough to make Ichigo blow his load on the spot.

Gently lowering Toshiro back to the ground, Ichigo pressed another short kiss to his boyfriend's lips. He grabbed a small hand, and led the younger male out of the room. Their ears rung but neither of them seemed to care.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo whispered as they made their way towards the stairs at the end of the hallway.

"Positive," Toshiro answered, his voice deeper than normal and his eyes a beautiful, yet terrifying, shade of dark teal.

…

As soon as they were in the safety of their dorm, Ichigo had Toshiro back up against the door, pulling the boy's shirt over his head in one swift move. This time it was Toshiro who practically jumped up Ichigo's body, wrapping his arms around Ichigo's neck and legs around his waist. Ichigo flattened his boyfriend's back against the door as he returned to ravishing that slender neck. He felt fingers twist in his hair and heard Toshiro's groans of pleasure.

"Ich-ahh," Toshiro panted, "Please, off shirt now."

Ichigo chuckled; apparently intellect had gone out the window. He leant back away from the wall, keeping his hands under Toshiro's thighs so he wouldn't fall as the prodigy's skilled hands made quick work of Ichigo's button up. Apparently the boy didn't care if the shirt was completely off or not, as long as he could see Ichigo's chest he seemed to be pleased, and immediately lips were latching onto Ichigo's highly sensitive collar bone causing the older boy to moan. The strawberry tried to take vengeance by pinching one of the boy's pert nipples, but a harsh suck in retaliation distracted him. With a slick pop, Toshiro removed his mouth from Ichigo's clavicle with a sly grin.

"Did you just give me a hickey?"

"Hmm," Toshiro hummed in agreement, kissing up Ichigo's throat, "You're going to want to wear a shirt over that in front of your family."

Ichigo's eyes had clenched shut as the fiery trail ascended up his neck and he groaned.

"I want you so much right now," Ichigo's hands squeezed Toshiro's butt to emphasize his point, "So badly."

Toshiro chuckled, unwrapping his legs from Ichigo's body. The strawberry lowered him to the ground. The white-haired prodigy's lips found Ichigo's for a brief peck, before he pulled back, and tugged Ichigo towards the berry's bedroom.

This was it. They were finally about to have sex.

The nerves were starting to creep back under Ichigo's skin. In no time at all, he found himself sitting on the edge of his bed, Toshiro straddling his hips. He took a deep breath.

"Are you nervous?" Toshiro asked, linking their hands together.

"Yeah," Ichigo swallowed, "You?"

"Most definitely," Toshiro grinned at him, despite admitting his anxiousness, "I'm about to have a giant dick shoved up my ass, what do you think?"

"You seem kind of happy about that, Babe," Ichigo smirked, pressing a quick kiss to his boyfriend's cheek.

"Well, I am," the young genius nodded, rubbing his thumb over Ichigo's knuckles, "I'm excited and nervous. I'm worried about it hurting, but I trust you; you'll stop if I ask you too."

"Of course, I will," Ichigo said firmly, locking eyes with Toshiro, "I don't want to hurt you."

Toshiro smiled, and Ichigo's heart skipped a beat. His nervousness was receding slowly, as the excitement began to build back up and over take it.

"I know you don't."

With that, Toshiro pressed their lips together softly. It was another one of their gentle, loving kisses that held their lustful passion at bay and put forth their more caring emotions. Mouths opened to let each other in, and tongues danced between them in a show of adoration and respect. Ichigo's hand cupped Toshiro's cheek and he stroked the soft skin with his thumb; he loved this boy so much, and now it was time for them to take the ultimate leap of faith together.

Toshiro pulled back from Ichigo's lips and began his descent down the strawberry's neck, shoulder and collarbone. Shirt still on but open wide, Ichigo slipped it off his shoulders as his boyfriend continued to travel down his torso. The warmth in his lap was gone as Toshiro slipped off and perched himself between Ichigo's legs, still kissing his way downwards. At his belly button, Ichigo felt Toshiro flick his tongue into the dip and chuckled at Ichigo's jerk of surprise; he was extremely ticklish there, as Toshiro knew that. Suddenly, a hand was at the waistband of his jeans and working open his fly. Ichigo grunted when Toshiro's little hand wrapped around his erect member and he pulled it out of its confines.

"Babe, I-"

"Shhh, let me do this for you," Toshiro spoke softly as he began to slowly pump Ichigo's length, "You're going to have to spend a lot of time on me later for preparation, I want to give you this first."

Chocolate brown met stunning teal and Ichigo nodded his consent. Being a virgin, Toshiro was going to need as much prepping as possible if Ichigo was serious about not hurting him (and he was), and that was going to take some time. If Toshiro wanted to give him a little something first, he should just relax and enjoy it.

Toshiro placed a tentative kiss on the head before running his tongue around the circumference and poking the leaking slit with it. Ichigo watched, his breaths becoming shorter and he cheeks heating up. _Fuck, this was so hot_ , and the boy hadn't even put it in his mouth yet. As if reading his mind, the young genius flicked his eyes up to Ichigo and smirked, before engulfing the member in his mouth. Ichigo's breath was caught in his throat as he released a moan, and automatically his hands wound through Toshiro's snowy hair.

He had to close his eyes in order not to climax on the sight in front of him alone, but he could feel Toshiro's head bobbing up and down the shaft, long strokes gradually getting deeper and deeper as the boy pushed passed any gag reflex he might have had. Despite what little room there would have been available in Toshiro's mouth, his tongue created mischief on the underside of Ichigo's arousal, sliding back and forth and flattening out.

Deep moans filled the room and Ichigo was very glad for the party pumping above them. He knew he wasn't going to last long if Toshiro kept this up; Ichigo wouldn't have guessed he'd only given one blow job in his life before they'd gotten together, but of course, a _fucking prodigy_ doesn't need all that much practice to be brilliant at it. Also, during the exams, they'd been too busy to be able to do anything physical, but that didn't stop the sexual tension from rising rapidly between them.

"Tosh, nghh-" Ichigo moaned again, "Baby, I can't- ahhh, please, I'll come if you don't st-ngh."

His rather broken message was understood, and Toshiro released his erection with a slick pop before climbing back onto Ichigo's lap while the nineteen year old struggled to regain his composure; the image of Toshiro's mouth around his cock was almost too much to bear.

"You're amazing…" Ichigo panted breathlessly, leaning back and propping himself up on his elbows.

Toshiro smirked, and rocked his hips a little causing Ichigo's bare arousal to rub against his clothed ass, and another moan tore from the strawberry's throat. He had to bite his own lip hard to will back the semen trying to climb up his shaft.

"Enough of that," Ichigo growled, placing his hands on Toshiro's hips, "Your turn."

He flipped them over and pushed them back up to the pillows so they had the whole bed to work with. He wasted no time in getting Toshiro's pants off as well as finally getting his own all the way off. Completely naked, he climbed back over Toshiro's smaller frame, and gazed down at his stunning prize. Toshiro was still as ripped as the first time he'd seen him without his shirt on but something was different. It took him a few seconds, but eventually it clicked; Toshiro had lost weight during the exam period. He frowned a little; it wasn't enough weight for friends to notice, but enough for someone who had seen him naked before to see it – probably only a few kilos. The boy must have been more stressed than he let on.

"Are you going to make me wait all night?" Toshiro murmured below him, "Because if so, I'll just take care of myse-nghh!"

Ichigo had quickly grasped the prodigy's throbbing erection and began to stroke it.

"You'll do no such thing," Ichigo growled dangerously, causing his boyfriend to shudder beneath him.

He decided to push Toshiro's minor weight loss from his mind for now; it might not even be the exams, it could have just been puberty doing its natural thing. Either way, it was just something for him to keep an eye on for now, and he'd regularly check to ensure the boy was eating his meals. However, right now he had something important on his mind; sex.

He reached over to his nightstand and opened the top draw. He pulled out his bottle of lube, popped the cap and – letting go of Toshiro's arousal – squirted some onto three of his fingers, coating them generously. Toshiro was watching him curiously, his head cocked to the side. He placed the tube back onto the bedside table and hovered back of his boyfriend.

"I'll do one at a time," Ichigo announced, holding the fingers up to Toshiro's view, "Tell me if it's too painful."

Toshiro nodded, but said nothing. Ichigo leant forward and pressed their lips together firmly as his hand made its way between Toshiro's spread legs and behind to the magic entrance they'd been waiting months to find. He found the tight entrance and prodded it gently with his first finger; he could feel Toshiro's tensing up below him, so he ran his tongue along the boy's lips, willing him to open his mouth and succumb to the distraction. He did and so Ichigo began to gently push his first finger through the taunt ring of muscles. It slid it pretty well, and Toshiro made no indication of being in pain.

"How does that feel?" Ichigo asked, pulling back from the kiss and slowly pushing his finger back and forth in the hole.

"Odd," Toshiro frowned, "It doesn't hurt, but it's a strange intrusion."

Ichigo chuckled, "Want to try the second one now?"

Toshiro nodded his agreement. Ichigo pulled the first finger out, adding the second and slowly began to push back in. It was very tight, and Toshiro grunted, so Ichigo slowed down even more. He observed Toshiro's face as it winced in pain.

"Do you want to stop?"

"No," Toshiro answered firmly, "It just takes some getting used to."

Ichigo nodded and very slowly slid the fingers out and back in, scissoring them on the way. Toshiro's eyes were clenched shut, but slowly his face relaxed into a placid state, and his breathing quickened. Ichigo thrusted his fingers in a little faster and harder – not too much – and Toshiro looked to be enjoying it now. He was panting a little, and his eyelids had cracked open.

"This is good," the prodigy murmured, and soon enough he was moaning softly along with Ichigo's strokes.

Ichigo used his growing confidence to scissor more and pick up the pace, his two fingers exploring the hot cavern. The muscles surround his fingers were tensing on and off and Ichigo could hardly wait to have them wrapped around his cock. Suddenly Toshiro gasped loudly, arching his back off the bed and released the most lustful moan Ichigo had ever heard.

"Th-there," Toshiro panted, "Do it again."

Ichigo repeated his last stroke and Toshiro moaned again, his hands gripping the bed covers desperately and his eyes rolled back into his head. He'd hit the prostate gland, he must have; Ichigo had heard it was a serious erogenous zone. He grinned to himself, and noted its position inside his boyfriend for future reference.

"I'm going to put the third finger in now," Ichigo announced, "You're doing great, Baby."

Toshiro took the third finger in similar fashion to the second, but this time Ichigo had to press kisses to his chest to help relax him. Again, he moved it back and forth, stretching the tunnel and preparing it for something even bigger. It took a few minutes longer but eventually Toshiro was moaning softly again and begging Ichigo to find his prostate again. He did, and the reaction was once again magnificent.

"Ichigo, please," Toshiro panted, "Please, I need you… now, in me, plea-ahh…"

Not being able to deny a horny, begging Toshiro, Ichigo withdrew his three fingers. He bent down over the side of the bed and picked up his jeans from before, wiping the lube off his fingers and pulling out one of the condoms from his pocket. Technically, they didn't need to use one since Tosh was a virgin and Ichigo had used one with the one sexual partner he'd had previously, but as it was their first time, he wanted to reduce the mess and help them relax a bit. He slid it on and retrieved the lube, this time coating his entire length in the slippery substance. He stroked himself a couple of times – the image of Toshiro panting on his back with spread legs was incredible – before lining himself up with the tight orifice. His eyes found Toshiro's and with a deep breath, he began to push himself inside the love of his life.

Toshiro grunted in pain, and Ichigo could see him trying to will his muscles to relax. To help, Ichigo used the hand he had used to lube up his member to gently stroke Toshiro's own. He muttered soft words of encouragement and before he even realised it, his member was buried to the hilt inside his boyfriend. Toshiro didn't appear to have noticed yet; his eyes clenched in pain, but his hand was running gently along the wrist Ichigo was using to pump his erection with; like he was torn in between the pleasure and the pain.

"Babe, I'm in," Ichigo let go of the boy's arousal.

"Hmm?" Toshiro hummed, before opening his eyes in confusion and glancing down to where Ichigo's body connected with his own.

"The hard part is over, Babe," Ichigo chuckled at the boy's expression, "Take some time to adjust."

Toshiro continued to stare disbelievingly at the connection, "That was easier than I expected."

"We did a lot of prep," Ichigo offered, but even he was impressed by their teamwork, not that either of them really knew what to expect.

Toshiro hummed in agreement, before leaning up to kiss Ichigo.

Ichigo kissed back, unbelievably happy to have found himself buried inside this incredible body, to finally find himself physically connected to the boy he'd been crushing over for almost a year.

"Move," Toshiro muttered against his lips.

The prodigy hissed when Ichigo began to move, but he told Ichigo to keep going. The strawberry pulled out and pushed back in at a painfully slow pace. Toshiro was yet to enjoy it but Ichigo had to clench his jaw and bite his lip to keep from moaning; the tight muscles clenched hard around his organ but it felt so unbelievably good.

He didn't let his first moan fly until he heard Toshiro's first one, and knew he was adjusting well. He kept the slow pace going, dragging in and out in long gentle strokes. He wanted to make love to his love. He wanted to pour desire and care into every gentle thrust, and soon Toshiro was responding to him. Two bodies moved as one, silently co-ordinating their own rhythm. They moaned together, and Ichigo leant further over the smaller body as Toshiro pushed himself up and they kissed.

"Ichigo…" Toshiro panted, "I need-nggh… faster!"

Complying, Ichigo quickened the pace, and Toshiro's hips rose to meet every thrust. As the speed picked up, so did the roughness. Ichigo was careful not to push too hard, but Toshiro seemed to like the harder ones. The strawberry altered angles and once again found Toshiro's sweet spot, causing the boy to almost scream.

Lust-filled moans echoed around the room as well as the sound of skin slapping against more skin. Ichigo could feel his orgasm building quickly as every plunge down was forced back by Toshiro's thrust up, his legs wrapping around Ichigo's waist to pull them even closer together.

"Babe, I'm-ahhh, I'm close," Ichigo grunted, his hands clenching as he continued to thrust inside his beautiful partner.

"M-me too," Toshiro managed.

Ichigo held himself up with one hand and used the other to quickly find Toshiro's erection. He grasped it, and pumped in time with his thrusts. Toshiro's moans had grown louder with the double stimulation, and with one particularly forceful thrust and tug of his member, Toshiro came hard. He's coarse lust-filled voice echoed around the room as he called Ichigo's name (or a strangled version of it) and hot seed splashed across his chest. The sound alone could have finished Ichigo off, but that combined with the sight in front of him and the vice-grip the boy's muscles had around his shaft was unbearable. Ichigo's moan equalled that of Toshiro's and he felt his own ejaculation shooting inside the tight cavern, filling the latex condom.

He was mildly aware that his body was still moving slowly, allowing both him and Toshiro to ride out their orgasms. The heat was slowly quelling, and Toshiro had gone limp below him; Ichigo pulled himself out of Toshiro with a grunt. He pulled off the condom, tied it and threw it in the direction of his little trash basket. He didn't check if it landed in the right spot, just collapsing on the bed beside the white-haired prodigy.

After a minute, Ichigo cracked an eye open to see Toshiro's flustered face; the boys eyes were still closed and his chest rose and fell in deep breathes. The med science student reached an arm out to gently run through his boyfriend's snowy locks.

"We did it," He whispered breathlessly.

Toshiro's mouth twitched upwards, "If I knew it was going to be that good, I wouldn't have made us wait so long."

"I'm glad we waited," Ichigo breathed, "It was worth it."

Toshiro hummed his agreement, but looked too tired for actual words. Ichigo chuckled and sat up, having regained enough strength for at least that. He forced himself up and out to the bathroom, collecting a damp cloth and coming back. He wiped Toshiro's chest – the boy protested weakly against the cold towel but Ichigo argued that he'd be sticky in the morning – before discarding the cloth into the pile of clothes that pooled beside the bed.

Satisfied, Ichigo climbed back onto the bed, working the covers out from under Toshiro and pulling it up to their shoulders. Toshiro rolled into him, and Ichigo instantly wrapped his arms around the small body. The younger male sighed contently as he began to drift to sleep and Ichigo pressed a warm kiss to the boy's forehead.

"I love you, Baby."

"I love you too, Ichi."

…

"Are you done saying goodbye to an empty dorm room?" Toshiro drawled as he leant against the door frame.

Ichigo pouted, before scampering over to his boyfriend, collecting his box of stuff on the way. It was time to leave room 406 and head home. Toshiro would be coming with him, of course, but he was still going to miss the dorm. It was their sanctuary, the one place it could be just the two of them.

"I'm going to miss this place," Ichigo defended, "I'm going to miss us living here together."

"We're coming back in a month, Idiot," Toshiro rolled his eyes, "And we still live together at your Dad's."

"It's not the same there!" Ichigo whined, "And when we come back, it will be to a different dorm and we probably won't be roomies again."

Ignoring his boyfriend's eye roll, Ichigo's eyes swept over the room one last time. Goodbye bedroom where he lost his gay virginity, goodbye ugly couch where he had snuggled regularly with his little boyfriend, goodbye TV which had played many Marvel movies for them, goodbye kitchen table where he first laid eyes on Toshiro.

"Goodbye, dorm," Ichigo murmured, reaching out to hold Toshiro's hand.

"You're such a sook," Toshiro chuckled, "Come on, we gotta go."

Ichigo let himself be pulled from room as he silently said one last final goodbye to his KTU home, and to the place that had changed his life; room 406.

…

 **Well, that was the first lemon I've ever written, please review and tell me how I went! 3**

 _ **This chapter is the official end of The College Experience.**_ (I will be adding a few light-hearted epilogue chapters just for fun, but this is final chapter of the main story). **Special thanks to Mosco, for her constant support, reviewing, and pre-reading of chapters; Nico Zi, for reviewing every chapter and supporting my Momo hatred XD; FFKing, thanks for reviewing and good luck with your story, and to everyone else who has favourited, followed or reviewed; it's a huge motivation to keep writing, so thank you very much. I've gotten quite attached to this story, so it's sad to say goodbye (hence the epilogues ahaha), THANK YOU EVERYONE!**


	21. Camping (Epilogue 1 of 3)

Epilogue 1/3: Camping

Toshiro had never been camping before, but for some reason, he was able to show Ichigo – the camping expert – how to set up their tent properly. The strawberry himself was becoming rather frustrated with the complicated instructions that came with the new tent he'd bought just for the occasion. Toshiro held back a chuckle watching his boyfriend storm around the tent, looking for the one peg he'd lost; "It was just here, I swear!"

The whole gang had turned up for their weekend camping trip; Renji and Rukia, Chad and Rangiku, Ikkaku and Yumichika, as well as Shuuhei and his newest blonde girlfriend whose name Toshiro had already forgotten. Actually, he lied; the whole group hadn't turned up as Izuru was spending his break with Momo in Junrinan. Aunt Hana had decided to keep the house, and with the money she'd won from Toshiro, she and Uncle Hisao were able to afford to move back to Japan and take some time off before starting new jobs. The young prodigy felt a small twang in his chest, not because they were going to Junrinan without him – there was nothing there for him anymore – but because Momo hadn't spoken to him since Renji's New Year's Eve Party, and it wasn't from a lack of seeing her around.

"Found it!" Ichigo exclaimed excitedly, holding up the thin tent peg victoriously before finally hammering it into place.

Tilting his head to the side, Toshiro took in the view he'd been presented with as Ichigo bent over to hold the peg in place, and admired the muscles flexing in his arms as he pounded the peg into the ground with his small hammer.

"Damn, Tosh," Rangiku's voice whispered over Toshiro's shoulder, "You're a lucky man."

"I thought you were with Chad now?" Toshiro huffed, breaking his stare from the gorgeous specimen in front of him and turning to glare at his supposed 'best friend'.

Rangiku only winked in response.

Despite the night she'd shared with the gentle Mexican, Rangiku and Chad had only just officially begun to date. It seemed Chad's trust issues went as deep as Toshiro's own, but luckily for Rangiku, boys with trust issues were her forte, and just as Toshiro himself had been broken down, Chad had not been able to withstand the destructive force that was new girlfriend. Ichigo had been kind of concerned when he learnt that Ran was after his high school best friend because if they got together and then broke up, surely he and Toshiro would take the sides of their own best friends and that might cause a rift between them. Toshiro, however, was not worried; Chad didn't seem like the type of guy to hurt his girlfriend and Rangiku would never do anything to hurt someone like Chad.

"It's starting to get cold," Rangiku whined, rubbing her arms, "Maybe we should gather some firewood?"

Toshiro glanced at Ichigo asking the silent question to which Ichigo nodded, "Go help Rangiku, I'll finish up here."

Rangiku squealed in delight, dragging the young prodigy off towards the trees and informing him of all the activities she had planned for the group; all of which, unsurprisingly, involved the consumption of alcohol. _Fuck, he was going to get so drunk this weekend._

…

That night, Toshiro lay wide awake in the tent. Not even Ichigo's comforting snores were enough to sooth him, not even the warmth of Ichigo's body was enough to settle his heart rate. He'd heard a sound outside, he was sure of it. The rational part of his brain was telling him it was probably just a small harmless animal, like a stray cat or even a bird. But after the story Renji had told them that night around the campfire, his mind was spinning elaborate conclusions, and Toshiro whimpered softly, curling against his sleeping boyfriend…

" _And then," Renji's voice lowered, and a dark grin slowly spread across his face, "The woman heard a loud thump on the roof of her car…"_

 _Right on cue, a loud thud sounded from behind Toshiro, where he sat on Ichigo's lap in front of the campfire. He flinched at the noise and felt all his muscles tense up. Ikkaku had jumped on top of the table they'd set up for meals, providing all too real sound effects to Renji's horror story. Toshiro's grip on his beer tightened involuntarily and he sunk back in to Ichigo's warm, safe chest, the strawberry's free arm tightened protectively around him. Was Toshiro scared of Renji's ridiculous story? Pfft, no. No, no, no, of course not, don't be stupid._

" _And so, the woman got out of the car…" Renji continued, his eyes dark and sinister._

" _What an idiot," Rukia muttered, "Why would you get out of the car? Just lock it and call the police, for fuck's sake."_

 _Everyone sitting around the campfire laughed, and Toshiro forced a nervous chuckle. Ichigo's hand moved under his shirt, rubbing soothing circles on the prodigy's skin. If his boyfriend knew of his slight… aversion – he wasn't afraid – to Renji's story, Toshiro did not know, but he was grateful nonetheless for the strawberry's comforting actions._

" _And when she turned around…"_

 _Toshiro turned his head and buried his face in Ichigo's neck. Okay… perhaps… there was a chance, a very, very, very slight chance, that Toshiro was, in fact, a tiny – TINY – bit… he wouldn't say 'scared'… probably more 'troubled', yes, troubled. He was troubled by Renji's story._

" _The roof of her car had big dents in it, like a large animal had jumped on it," Renji told them, "But there was nothing there. Instead, behind her, the woman heard a twig snap."_

 _For emphasis, Ikkaku had come around and broken a twig right in Rangiku's ear, causing the blonde to yelp, and jump into Chad's lap. Shuuhei laughed at her reaction and Toshiro's breathing quickened. He gulped back the rest of his beer quickly, dropping the bottle softly to the grass below their camp chair, and snuggling further into Ichigo's side._

 _Find your happy place, he told himself silently; space, books, Ichigo, karate, physics, Ichigo in bed, Harry Potter, Ichigo playing basketball, Thor smashing Renji with his hammer, Ichigo in the shower…_

 _A scream broke his thoughts and he jumped in Ichigo's hold, almost falling off the chair. The strawberry pulled him back instantly and held him tightly as Toshiro tried to catch up with what he'd missed. As it turned out, his happy thoughts had worked and he'd actually missed the end of Renji's story. Apparently, they'd picked on Yumichika this time; Ikkaku had obviously tried to scare his boyfriend and succeeded, causing the tall, feminine man to jump up screaming. Everyone had laughed and Yumichika had stormed off in a fit of fury, Ikkaku trailing after him trying half-heartedly to apologize._

He hadn't even heard the end of the story, but Toshiro couldn't sleep. Ichigo's warm breath against his forehead wasn't calming him down as much as he would have liked and then the worst thing that could have possibly occurred happened; Toshiro felt the all too familiar tug of his bladder and knew he needed to pee. _Fuck, what was going to do?_ There was absolutely no way he was going to go outside alone in the middle of the night after that damn story, but the more he thought about it, the more he needed to go. The weight in his bladder pressed uncomfortably in his lower regions and not even the happiest of happy thoughts could quell the need.

Ugh, he was being ridiculous, there was absolutely nothing outside that was going to hurt him.

He pulled himself up, slipped on some shoes and crawled over to the zip of the tent door. He hand hovered over the zip for a few seconds. He took a deep breath and shakily undid the fly. Slipping out of the tent, he took a tentative three steps forward before a rustle in the bushes off his right side had him diving back into the tent. _Fuck, he was going to die out there,_ he just knew it.

"Babe," Ichigo groaned, rolling over on the double air mattress, "Come back to bed."

"I need to pee," Toshiro muttered, poking his head back out the fly, bravely looking around outside.

"Then go pee," Ichigo murmured helpfully.

"I can't," Toshiro whispered, zipping back up the fly and sitting the corner of the tent, crossing his legs and willing the urine to stay inside him.

"Why not?" Ichigo sighed in exasperation, his back to Toshiro.

"I…" Toshiro began but stopped abruptly. He wasn't about to admit that he'd be frightened by a lame children's horror story, "Actually, you know what, I think I can wait until morning…"

It was a lie; there was no way he was going to make it until daylight before he wet his pants, but he could maybe afford another hour or so to make him desperate enough that he'd just have to be brave and go outside.

"Good," Ichigo mumbled sleepily, rolling back over and pulling back the opened-up sleeping bag for Toshiro to crawl in beside him, "Come here, I'm getting cold."

Toshiro did as he was told, slipping off his shoes and snuggling back under the covers. Ichigo's arms were around him instantly, pulling the small prodigy closer. It was comforting his fears, but not doing anything to sedate the pressing need his lower abdomen. Toshiro crossed and uncrossed legs every thirty seconds in discomfort and fidgeted like crazy. There was no way he was going to make another hour, and Ichigo must have sensed the issue, because he suddenly sat up, pulled on his own shoes and grabbed their torch.

"Come on, let's go," Ichigo said, whacking the torch against his palm a few times to get the light to turn on, "I need to pee too."

And that was a lie, because Ichigo didn't need to go to the bathroom at all as Toshiro later found out. The strawberry was grinning very smugly, however, as they trudged back to the tent, Toshiro's bladder finally empty.

"I didn't know you got scared by stuff like that," Ichigo chuckled to himself, "You're so cute, Tosh, you really are."

"Fuck off, I'm not scared," Toshiro hissed back, "Don't be foolish."

"Oh no?" Ichigo smirked, "So you left the tent, and came flying back in after only five seconds, and repeatedly muttered, 'I'm going to die' under your breath, but you weren't scared at all?"

Toshiro faltered in his steps. Had he really been muttering that under his breath? He could remember thinking it over and over…

Suddenly, a loud growl sounded from behind Toshiro, and before the prodigy knew it, he was jumping into Ichigo, gripping his arms like it was his lifeline and pressing his face into the strawberry's clothed chest.

"Babe, it's just Renji's snoring," Ichigo laughed.

Despite all his chuckles, Toshiro felt Ichigo's arms encircle his body and hold him close. Toshiro's heart hammered against his chest, and he tried to take his mind off the rustling leaves and whistle of the wind by taking deep, somewhat shaky breaths, inhaling that strawberry scent of his boyfriend.

Ichigo tugged him back to the tent, and Toshiro was all too happy to comply. They took of their shoes and settled back into bed. With no need to pee, Toshiro snuggled back against Ichigo and closed his eyes; he was finally starting to calm down. Ichigo hummed softly above him, his hands running through Toshiro's hair soothingly and the young genius started to feel sleep take him.

"You're so cute, Toshiro," Ichigo whispered, a stupid grin probably gracing his features, "Don't worry, I'll protect you."

Toshiro didn't care that Ichigo was mocking him a little; he just wanted to sleep in this safe, warm hold.

…

The next night was, if at all believable, worse and even more embarrassing for Toshiro than being scared the night before, and of course, it was all Rangiku's fault.

"Let's play Never Have I Ever," she said, "It will be fun," she said.

Lies.

The group sat around the campfire once again with various cups of random cocktails Rangiku had concocted, all of which were extremely strong, and Toshiro could feel himself buzzing already. The game hadn't even started yet.

Ichigo sat in a camp chair beside Toshiro. His knee was bobbing nervously and he took plenty of sips of his own drink. He was uneasy because Rangiku had been threatening to get the information regarding their new sex-life out of them. Apparently, she had been disappointed with the details – or lack thereof – they'd given her after their first time and now she'd found a way to force the specifics out of them.

"Never Have I Ever…" Rangiku drawled, "Given a blowjob."

Starting out easy, Rangiku got most of the circle to drink with her first question; Toshiro, Ichigo, Rukia, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Shuuhei's blonde friend (here and after known as 'Hot Blonde') and of course, Ran herself.

"Never Have I Ever…" It was Renji's turn and he was eyeing Ichigo mischievously, "Told my partner I loved them for the first time during a sexual moment."

Ichigo groaned, flushing crimson, and drank from his cup. Toshiro frowned, remembering the moment and cringed when he remembered that he hadn't told Rangiku about that.

"What!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and pointing her finger accusingly at Ichigo, "You what?! Ichigo, you told Toshiro that you loved him?"

Ichigo nodded, flushing a beautiful shade of pink. Rangiku then turned on Toshiro, demanding to know the details, and blaming him for hiding crucial information from her. He only shrugged in response, which seemed to piss her off even more.

The game continued through a few more players, the topics hitting sex, criminal activity, drunken stories, weird fetishes and embarrassing moments. Toshiro was lucky enough to only have been forced to drink twice in the first round, but poor Ichigo had copped it bad, having to drink six times. He was holding his alcohol well, however, and the whole thing was becoming highly amusing to Toshiro, who had a bad case of the giggles. Things changed, however, when Rangiku's turn came back around.

"Well, Tosh, since you're being so stingy with the details, you leave me no choice," Rangiku grinned manically, "Never Have I Ever gotten a boner watching Ichigo study."

Toshiro blushed as all eyes turned on him and slowly he raised his drink to his lips, causing his friends to laugh and make jokes about him being a horny genius who gets turned on by watching people study. Ichigo was smirking stupidly at him, and Toshiro rolled his eyes; fine, if Rangiku wanted to play, he'd play.

Finally his turn came around, and he winked suggestively at his blonde friend across the fire, "Never Have I Ever… given two guys hand jobs at the same time."

Rangiku's jaw dropped, and a few people gasped in surprise as she shook her head in embarrassment and she took a sip from her cup. Laughter roared around the fire, and Toshiro didn't miss the death stare she sent his way nor her mouthing the words, "Bring it on."

When it became clear that Rangiku and Toshiro were targeting each other in the game, others began to join in or target their own people, namely Shuuhei targeting Renji, Renji and Rukia picking on Ichigo, Ichigo helping Toshiro to take Rangiku down.

"Never Have I Ever," Rangiku glared at the young prodigy, "Had a sex dream about one of my teachers!"

Toshiro closed his eyes and cringed hard, taking yet another sip of his drink as he thought of Professor Taekada, his first year astronomy lecturer. He was becoming very, very tipsy at this point, bordering the line between tipsy and drunk. He opened his eyes to see Ichigo looking at him questioningly.

"No, Baby, no, no, no, no," Toshiro slurred, pulling himself out of his chair and stumbling over in the strawberry's lap, "It was waaaaay before I even met you. I swear all my sex dreams have been about you since we met."

Ichigo's mildly shocked expression turned smug at Toshiro's tipsy confession, and Toshiro reached up to connect their lips. Due to the alcohol shared between them, the kiss was sloppier than usual, but Toshiro didn't mind, and neither did his growing erection; the memories of his more raunchy dreams coming to the surface.

"It's your turn, Toshiro!" Someone yelled, and Toshiro pulled out of the kiss, glancing around the camp fire to find the devil woman he'd been trying to shame.

Perhaps he was drunker than he thought, because Rangiku suddenly had four boobs instead of two.

"Never Have I Ever…" Toshiro began to giggle, "Gotten arrested for skinny dipping in a public pool at night."

Rangiku once again drank, laughing at her own embarrassing story and even Chad cracked a smile at that one.

"Never Have I Ever…" Shuuhei drawled cheekily, "Fooled around in my roommate's bed."

Toshiro and Ichigo shared a glance and chuckle before drinking. Renji and Chad drank too, and as roommates, were shocked to find the other drinking; the look of horror spreading over their features simultaneously, although Chad's was less pronounced. Ikkaku and Yumichika shrugged, drinking, and Rangiku swore softly before taking her own sip.

"Never Have I Ever…" Rukia's eyes flashed dangerously as she looked Ichigo and Toshiro up and down, "Had sex with someone who can do the splits."

Renji drank happily, and so did Shuuhei. Rangiku nudged Chad in the side, whispered in his ear, and then the blushing Mexican too drank. Ichigo looked a little confused as Rukia and Rangiku both smirked at him, so Toshiro rolled his eyes, pushed himself out of Ichigo's lap and dropped to the ground, his legs split out to opposite sides and completely straight. Ichigo's jaw dropped.

"I forgot you used to be a gymnast," He muttered, his eyes darkening with lust, "Fuck, that's hot."

Ichigo was so pleased with this new information that he chugged the rest of his drink, stood up and demanded Toshiro come 'help him get a new drink'. Needless to say, helping Ichigo get a new drink involved nothing of the kind, although Toshiro didn't realise this until he wound up in the back seat of Ichigo's old Suzuki, the strawberry's mouth engulfing his erection and the only 'drink' Ichigo was getting was Toshiro's cum in his mouth.

Toshiro didn't know how much time had passed when they returned to the campfire, but they were met with loud cheers. Yumichika and Ikkaku had also disappeared, and Hot Blonde was straddling Shuuhei in his camp chair as they made out.

"Never Have I Ever had sex in a car!" Rangiku shouted over the cheers, and suddenly Toshiro had someone's cup in his hand and was tipping the contents into the back of throat.

As the night wore on, and each couple disappeared and returned, Toshiro found himself lying with his head in Rangiku's lap and staring up at the stars. He was well and truly drunk now, and he vaguely remembered dancing with Ran before they'd fallen over together; Toshiro now physically couldn't stand up and Rangiku was giggling too hard to even attempt it. Ichigo was… _Where was he?_

"He's making noodles," Rangiku informed him through some light chuckles, although Toshiro didn't remember asking the question out loud, "He and Rukia are trying to set up the gas cookers."

Toshiro frowned as he tried to remember; yes, that's right, Ichigo had been complaining about being hungry and so had Renji. Everyone began discussing the best foods to have while drunk; most of the group agreed that noodles or kebabs were generally the way to go, but Rangiku insisted that she had discovered the best drunk food on her trip to Australia and that was vegemite on toast. Well, they didn't have any vegemite, and there were no kebab shops around, but they did have an endless supply of noodles, and so off Rukia and Ichigo went to cook up a feast.

"I'm sorry I picked on you in that game, Ran," Toshiro murmured, although he wasn't sorry at all and Rangiku wasn't mad anyway, before rolling into her stomach and closing his eyes; the world was spinning, "Also, you smell like sex."

"Well, you'd know, wouldn't you?" Rangiku giggled, taking a sip of her drink.

"I do know," Toshiro grinned.

Rangiku seemed to take advantage of Toshiro's drunk state and good mood, asking endless questions about the now multiple times he and Ichigo had fucked, and also the whole 'I love you' story, and despite knowing he'd regret telling her everything in the morning, Toshiro couldn't keep his mouth shut. Right now, he wanted to talk about it and share the happiest time of his life with his best friend, and he didn't think there was anything wrong with that. Rangiku always knew where to draw the line between things that stay between them and things that she could tease him about publicly anyway, so he was only partially worried.

"I'm happy for you, Tosh," She murmured, running her fingers through his hair, "You deserve this."

He hummed in response, "You deserve to be happy too, Ran-Ran."

Ran-Ran only came out when he was _really drunk_ , and he was, in fact, _really, really drunk_.

"I am," Rangiku giggled, and Toshiro glanced up to see her two faces smiling down at him, "Chad is a beautiful man."

She continued to fill him in on the niceties of her new relationship with the gentle giant, and called the man over as he walked towards them with bowls of noodles. He blushed as he sat beside them, Rangiku still gushing over what an incredible man he was. Toshiro chuckled at his discomfort having been in similar situations with that woman before. The prodigy tried to sit up, but was finding balancing hard, until he felt Rangiku pull him back beside her, and he slumped sideways against her shoulder. He picked at his bowl of noodles with his fingers – he was too drunk to co-ordinate chopsticks – and he missed his mouth about three times, wearing more of his food than he was actually eating it.

Rangiku eventually got up to grab him a serviette, leaving him now slumped against Chad's beefy arm.

"Sado," Toshiro drawled, "Why do they call you 'Chad', when your name is 'Yasutora'?"

"I introduced myself as 'Sado' to Ichigo when we first met," Chad answered softly, "But he thought I said 'Chado'."

The young genius chuckled to himself; _trust Ichigo, the fool._

A few moments of comfortable silence passed between them; well, Toshiro was drunk enough to think it was comfortable; he really couldn't tell what Chad might have been thinking.

"I'm glad you let Isshin take you in," Chad murmured eventually, "You're too small to-… Foster care would have been terrible for you."

It was the first time Chad had spoken to Toshiro about the situation they both had faced. Toshiro glanced at the larger man.

"You should have let Dr Kurosaki help you," He ventured softly, "Things might have been different for you."

Chad nodded, "I made a lot of mistakes growing up, and refusing him was certainly one of them."

Toshiro didn't know what to say in reply, and with his newfound taste for affection and his current high blood alcohol concentration, he simply placed his noodle bowl on the ground and wrapped his arms around Chad. His arms were too short to make it the whole way around but he did his best anyway, and saw the flicker of a smile play on the Latino's face.

"Ichigo is lucky to have you."

"Rangiku is lucky to have you," Toshiro spoke softly, "But if you ever hurt her, I'll kill you."

He wasn't much of a threat since Toshiro was currently relying on the man to hold him upright, but he hoped at least his message went across.

"I'd never hurt her," Chad promised firmly.

Please with his answer, Toshiro released his hold on Chad and returned to his noodles. Eventually Rangiku returned with Ichigo, who laughed hysterically when he saw all the noodles down Toshiro's shirt. The strawberry continued to chuckle as he sat down and pulled Toshiro's partially limp body into his lap, and began to feed them both, his hands still able to use chopsticks. Ichigo seemed fine, but Toshiro could tell he was still pretty drunk himself, largely due to the fact he was singing along terribly to the music emanating out of Renji's portable speakers and openly discussing the latest dramas of _Geordie Shore_ with Rangiku.

Deciding that the world was still spinning too fast for him, Toshiro curled up against Ichigo and tried to sleep. It wasn't hard despite the loud music and all the people chatting and dancing around him, and the next thing he knew, the whole camp ground was silent except a few hushed voices, and he felt someone pick him up and carry him to the tent. The body felt different to Ichigo's, but Toshiro was too tired to open his eyes. He felt himself get placed on a mattress, and then a body that was undeniably Ichigo's wrapped around him.

"Thanks guys," Ichigo's voice slurred, and Toshiro heard someone chuckling as they zipped up the tent and walked away.

Sleep took him again soon after, Ichigo singing softly under his breath in the back of his mind.

…

Toshiro had never felt so sick in his life.

He hunched over the base of a tree trunk and once again spewed his guts onto the grass below while wearing the clothes he'd worn all yesterday. This was so embarrassing, but fortunately, he wasn't the only one. Ichigo was lying on the grass not far from him, obviously too sick to move, Rukia was vomiting in the shrubs on the other side of the camp ground. Shuuhei was holding a bucket for Hot Blonde and cringing hard as the girl gagged into it. Chad was rubbing Rangiku's back as she sat at the table holding her head in her hands, Renji mirroring her image at the opposite end. Ikkaku and Yumichika were yet to arise, but apparently both of them had been throwing up late last night.

Shuuhei and Chad seemed to be the only two who had come up good the next morning. According to Shuuhei, after Toshiro had fallen asleep in Ichigo's lap, the strawberry had continued to drink – passing Toshiro off to Rangiku who apparently wanted to cuddle him – and ended up playing a drinking game with Rukia, Renji, Shuuhei and Hot Blonde. In the end, the nineteen year old had been too drunk to stand, let alone carry Toshiro to bed, and so Chad helped Ichigo back inside the tent, while Shuuhei had been the one Toshiro felt carrying him last night.

Eventually Toshiro stopped vomiting, and made his way over to the tap to fill up his bottle of water and rinse his mouth out before collapsing on the grass beside Ichigo.

"I brought you water," Toshiro whispered, because regular talking was too loud for him to handle right now.

Ichigo muttered his own quiet thanks before taking a shaky sip of water. They laid their together in silence for some time. The ground wasn't very comfortable to lie on but the fresh air was doing Toshiro wonders, and at some point he fell asleep to the sounds of happy, non-hungover birds chirping innocently in the tree tops above and Ichigo's arm slung over his back.

He woke up when Rangiku came by offering a plate of fried food. Both boys sat up rather groggily and picked at the various bits of food on the plate. The food and the short nap really helped – as well as all the vomiting – and he was eventually able to get up and wander back to the table. Ichigo followed and soon almost everyone was there. Today was supposed to be their last day here, but with most of the drivers still too hungover, they all agreed to stay one more night, planning to play a couple of innocent card games, maybe watch a movie or two on the portable DVD player Ichigo had brought and then have an early night before leaving early tomorrow.

Glad to not have to pack up their stuff this afternoon, Toshiro returned to the tent, stripping off his dirty clothes and replacing them with nothing but one of Ichigo's shirts. He crawled under the covers and closed his eyes. There was some relaxed music playing outside but it was otherwise quiet as almost everyone returned to bed.

Ichigo entered the tent after a few minutes, pulling off his own dirty clothes and crawling over Toshiro to his side of mattress.

"Dad's cool with us coming home tomorrow now," Ichigo murmured, slipping under their shared open sleeping bag, "I called to let him know."

Toshiro hummed an acknowledgement and rolled away from Ichigo so the man would come behind him and spoon him. Ichigo shuffled closer and wrapped an arm around Toshiro, pulling the boy towards his chest.

"If I didn't feel so sick, I'd ravish you," Ichigo muttered against Toshiro's neck, pressing a light kiss to his skin.

"If I didn't feel so sick, that kiss on my neck would have turned me on," Toshiro grinned into his pillow; it was true, he was a sucker for neck kisses.

"I think we left the lube in the car last night anyway," Ichigo chuckled.

Toshiro smirked, "My thighs are killing me, by the way, next time make me stretch first."

Ichigo barked back some laughter, his arm tightening and pulling Toshiro even closer. He reached up, pressing his lips to Toshiro's temple, before sinking back down beside him. The prodigy sighed contently; _yeah, he'd go camping with Ichigo again._ He would go anywhere if Ichigo was coming, to be honest.

…

 **I don't know where most of that came from. Blame Mosco.**

 **Please review xx**


	22. Closer (Epilogue 2 of 3)

**Pretty much PWP for this chapter, you've been warned ;)**

…

Epilogue 2/3: Closer

Toshiro sat at the small desk in his room at the Kurosaki's; he was organising his new notebooks and old study notes as well as getting ready for Monday, when he and Ichigo would be returning to Karakura Town University. Their information packages had arrived earlier that day, outlining their class timetable, extracurricular club options, dorm room information and the list of textbooks for their respective subjects.

Packing his notes and books into his usual school bag, Toshiro stood and moved to the closet; he needed to pack his clothes and whatever else he wanted to keep in his new dorm room before the first holiday break. He decided on taking his smallest telescope, some of his Marvel DVDs, his illustrated Harry Potter book, Ichigo's mother's copy of 'The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy' and, of course, Rangiku's boomerang as she would no doubt be upset if – _god forbid_ – he left it at home.

 _Home._

It was a strange notion to think that he'd actually become accustomed to living with the Kurosaki family, but he had. Having Ichigo there was definitely the reason he'd been so calm during the move, but now Toshiro felt close enough to everyone in his boyfriend's family that even when the strawberry wasn't around, he still felt quite comfortable.

Most of all, the relationship he'd developed with Isshin surprised him; he'd never expected to get so close to his boyfriend's father, especially since he'd never really had a father figure in his life before, but Isshin had filled the role easily. He still called him 'Dr Kurosaki' though, but more for his own entertainment; it was like calling Ichigo 'Idiot', it was a term of endearment to him, and both the strawberry and his father reacted the same way, pouting and moping about the place, and then they'd lunge at him trying to hold him and squeeze him until he called them what they wanted to hear. Not a chance of that happening though, Toshiro was too quick, jumping out of the way and chuckling as their continued efforts to catch him were thwarted by years' worth of karate reflexes. It was also one of the few times Toshiro found being small was to his advantage.

"Guess who my new roommate is!" Ichigo exclaimed, bursting through the door and still wearing his white doctor's coat.

He'd been helping out his father at the clinic, and gaining some hands on experience in his field of study. The strawberry was loving it. Of course, there wasn't all that much he could do without a qualification but Ichigo was still able to get a better education seeing it in a practical sense and having lengthy discussions with his father.

"Renji," Toshiro replied instantly, a coy smile playing on his lips.

"How did you know?" Ichigo pouted, slipping inside the bedroom and shutting the door firmly behind him.

"He texted me," Toshiro let the humour show in his voice as Ichigo slumped over his bed tiredly, "You two are going to get up to so much mischief, I can tell."

Ichigo grinned.

Toshiro shook his head in mild amusement before returning to his packing. He couldn't decide if it was worth taking his new copy of _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay_ or not; He'd seen the film just recently with Ichigo and then his boyfriend had surprised him with the book. Ichigo sure knew the way to his heart; Toshiro had already read it twice.

His thought train was interrupted when he felt strong arms wrap around his waist, and a muscled chest press firmly against his back. Ichigo pressed a hot kiss to Toshiro's neck, causing the prodigy to inhale sharply.

"So…" the strawberry drawled, "Who will I be jealous of this year?"

"Hmmm?" Toshiro hummed, not entirely listening as his skin continued to tingle post-neck kiss.

"Your new roommate?" Ichigo smirked, his lips lingering dangerously close to Toshiro's throat.

Toshiro tried to concentrate despite the effects his boyfriend was having on him. _What was the question again? Who was his new roommate, wasn't it?_ He glanced back at the information package sitting on his desk. A tongue flickered against his neck, and he felt a hot flash take over his body as his mind went blank again. Ichigo's hearty chuckle resonated from behind him.

Toshiro shook his head; he was a genius and a prodigy, he shouldn't be brought down so easily. _He was smart, damn it!_ A few more kisses were placed along his throat but Toshiro forced himself to ignore them and focus on the original question; his roommate was…

"Yumichika," Toshiro managed to break out of his lustful daze, "He's my new roommate. Room 418."

"I'm 518!" Ichigo forgot his teasing momentarily to exclaim happily, "I'll be right on top of you…"

Toshiro frowned; _don't say it, Ichigo…_

"… In more ways than one, Babe," Ichigo continued, his voice become sultry as he threw Toshiro as less-than-subtle wink, "If you know what I mean."

"That's it, we're breaking up," Toshiro announced, his voice as serious and unemotional as possible.

He tried to pry the strawberry's arms from around his waist but Ichigo tightened his hold as he chuckled at the young prodigy's dry humour and half-hearted attempts to escape. One of Ichigo's sneaky hands slowly made its way down Toshiro's body as the other arm held him securely, fingers brushing over Toshiro's clothed member. The young prodigy stiffened instantly, inhaling sharply. He could practically feel Ichigo's grin against the side of his neck as the strawberry returned to his earlier ministrations.

Trying desperately to hold back the sounds begging to escape his throat as Ichigo palmed his now hardening member, Toshiro clenched his eyes shut.

"Ich-Ichigo," He stumbled over his words, "We can't-your family!"

"Dad has taken the girls to get new school supplies," Ichigo breathed into Toshiro's ear, causing the genius to shudder against him, "And the clinic is closed for the evening."

He felt his boyfriend unwrap his arms from around his body, holding only his hand as he tugged him towards the bed. Toshiro followed obediently, his eyes skimming over Ichigo as the older male stripped off his white medical coat and flopped backwards onto the bed. Saliva built up in Toshiro's mouth as the medical science student shifted so he was lying on the bed the right away, one arm flexing as it moved behind his neck to support his head. Ichigo used his free arm to point at Toshiro, curling his index finger back towards himself in a sexy silent instruction; _come here._

Not needing to be told twice, Toshiro climbed onto his bed, crawling over Ichigo's body and sitting squarely in his boyfriend's lap; he could already feel an erection straining to be free within the strawberry's pants. One arm supported the white haired prodigy as he leant down over Ichigo's chest, their mouths millimetres apart and their breaths mingling in the air between them. Toshiro saw Ichigo's eyes flicker between his own eyes and his lips before they met halfway, their lips crushing together as they melted into the kiss.

Both of Ichigo's hands were on Toshiro's body as they grabbed whatever they could find; Toshiro felt them on his ass, his hips, his thighs and running the length of his ribcage. The younger male had really come to appreciate the way Ichigo would touch him, his hands were always so warm and desperate, and it was hard for Toshiro to not get turned on by Ichigo's lust for him. The genius' own hands were busy themselves; he was propped up on one elbow above his older boyfriend, but even that hand worked its way into Ichigo's soft sunset-orange spikes, while the other free hand worked its way over the well-cut chest below him. Words weren't needed as he tugged gently on the bottom hem of the nineteen year old's shirt, the strawberry automatically sitting up, hands bracing Toshiro's body as it shifted back. The kiss was broken for only a few seconds as the boys pulled off each other's shirts before they reconnected at the mouth.

Toshiro was quicker this time, his tongue flickering against Ichigo's lips and entering the mouth during Ichigo's gasp of surprise. His arms had wound instinctively around Ichigo's long slender neck, pulling the man closer as two large hands massaged his ass. Toshiro groaned softly as he pulled out of the kiss, his head tilting back, and suddenly there was a pair of hot lips back against his neck. He couldn't resist neck kisses, Ichigo knew that, and Toshiro resisted the urge moan.

"You know I like to hear you, Babe," Ichigo murmured between kisses, "Nobody's home, remember?"

Glancing down between with lustful eyes, Toshiro caught Ichigo smirking as he moved further down his body. Deciding that it was his turn to be smug for a while, Toshiro pressed both of his hands to the strawberry's chest, applying pressure and pushing his boyfriend back down and flat across the mattress. Surprise was evident in the darkened brown eyes of his boyfriend.

"I like to hear you too," Toshiro whispered huskily before grinding hard against the older male's clothed arousal.

Ichigo grunted, his eyes screwing shut in pleasure and Toshiro repeated his movements again and again and again, and soon both boys were moaning. Jolts of pleasure shot up Toshiro's spin as he continued to rub himself against Ichigo, the strawberry himself was gripping the prodigy's thighs almost painfully tight.

"B-baby," Ichigo panted, "I want – I n-need you… r-right now."

At this point, Toshiro could only nod. He allowed Ichigo to take back over control, flipping them over gently on the mattress. The strawberry laid between Toshiro's spread legs, his elbows either side of Toshiro's head. They reconnected their lips briefly in a sweet kiss, before Ichigo pulled back and reached across the bed, opening the top drawer of Toshiro's bedside table and pulling out the lube. They'd given up on condoms after the camping trip when they'd been too drunk to remember to use one and since then, it hadn't been a top priority. Toshiro watched in building anticipation as Ichigo coated his fingers with the slippery substance and popped the tube back on the nightstand. His eyes closed as he focused on relaxing his body, the first finger already working its way inside. One finger had never been much of an issue, and so after only a few gently thrusts, Ichigo pulled it back out and pushed it back in with a second finger.

Breathing steadily, Toshiro concentrated on how good it was all about to feel for him, if he would only brave the initial sting. He knew – without even opening his eyes – that Ichigo was staring at him through caring, loving eyes, scanning his face for any signs of pain. Being the master of neutral expressions, Toshiro remained emotionless as two fingers thrusted and scissored inside him. Eventually it began to feel good, _like really good_ , and the prodigy felt his breathing quicken and heard soft pants that were most likely his own. He was about to ask Ichigo to add in the third when the two skilful digits already inside him brushed over his highly sensitive prostate gland.

"Ich-nghhh," Toshiro moaned loudly. He was very grateful that the other Kurosaki's were out that afternoon, because they probably would have heard that from even down stairs.

Lost in a world of his own pleasure, Toshiro thought he heard Ichigo chuckling from somewhere above him, but all coherency vanished when suddenly a third finger joined its brothers and were slowly sinking further in the tight cavern. They slid in quite easily, and Toshiro almost enjoyed the slight sting radiating in his lower back. Ichigo pumped them in and out, building up in speed and force, and Toshiro's control was long lost as the boy bucked his hips, and writhed on the bed. It felt amazing, Ichigo needed to know that.

"So good," Toshiro croaked, his voice fading in and out, "So, so good, Ichig-nghhh."

The strawberry hit his prostate front on three times in rapid succession and Toshiro almost blew his load. He forced himself to hold on however, clawing the bed cover desperately and begging Ichigo for something bigger. He needed his boyfriend inside him now. He needed Ichigo _desperately._

Answering his prayers, Toshiro felt the fingers withdraw and couldn't stop the whimper that spewed from his lips. Ichigo hummed his agreement, pressing a soft kiss to the prodigy's flushed cheek. Toshiro took advantage of the momentary loss of pleasure to gather his thoughts. Through slitted eye lids, he saw Ichigo reaching back for the lube and heard the distinctive pop of the cap. The heat in his face wasn't dissipating but his coherent mind was returning to him and he remembered why he was trying to dominate Ichigo before; Ichigo always did most of the work and Toshiro had decided that he was confident enough now to give his boyfriend a bit of a break. He would let the strawberry sit back and relax while Toshiro showed him a good time.

The tip of Ichigo's cock pressed against his entrance, preparing to slide in, when Toshiro sat up abruptly, hands at Ichigo hips and pushing him gently away.

"No," Toshiro said simply.

Caught off guard, Ichigo leant back on his heels, his eyes skimming over the prodigy's body rapidly, "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

A wicked grin emerged on Toshiro's face. Ichigo looked at him blankly, clearly clueless as to what was happening.

"I have something I want to try," Toshiro murmured, before shifting around Ichigo and flipping them back over.

He propped some pillows up against the headboard and commanded his boyfriend to sit up, and lean back against it. Ichigo did as he was told, his expression still very much confused. Toshiro crawled back over the man's legs and sat himself down on his boyfriend's thick thighs. He grabbed the base of Ichigo's erection and pumped it slowly, watching with an amused expression as realisation dawned in those beautiful chocolate eyes.

"Toshiro," Ichigo looked to be struggling between concern and the pleasure he was receiving, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Very sure," Toshiro answered with a small smile.

He stood on his knees and shuffled forward until his entrance was directly above Ichigo's stiff member. He held the base, took a deep breath and slowly began to lower himself onto it. The strawberry's hands were on his hips instantly and helping to guide the small body gently downwards. With gravity aiding them, Toshiro knew he'd be sinking deeper than ever before, but he did his best to keep the discomfort from showing on his face. He knew Ichigo would stop him the second he thought Toshiro was in too much pain, and the snow crowned prodigy definitely did not want to stop now. It was a very slow descent down, as Toshiro forgot to breathe and Ichigo's face contorted in pleasure. It did begin to hurt quite a bit as Toshiro forced Ichigo's shaft further inside him than he'd ever done, but he didn't stop until he was completely seated on his boyfriend's hips, the strawberry's large rod buried balls deep inside him.

Toshiro released the breath he'd be holding. His ass felt like it was splitting open but he clenched his eyes and waited; it'd turn to outrageous pleasure soon enough.

"Fuck, babe," Ichigo grunted, his eyes almost black with desire, "You're so fucking tight."

Toshiro could only hum in agreement, his mind trying to focus on the amazing feeling of Ichigo inside him and not the pain radiating below. He just needed a minute, and then he'd be good to go. Ichigo did his best to lean forward without jostling Toshiro's position, and placed a chaste kiss on the boy's forehead while his hands rubbed soothing circles into the prodigy's hips and lower back. _God, Ichigo was good to him_ , he was always so caring and considerate, even when taken over by lust; it was a big part of the reason Toshiro found had found himself admitting he loved the man, way before they'd said it out loud. It was the reason he wanted to do more of the work during sex, and the reason he wanted to show the strawberry how confident he'd become in the bedroom because of him.

With that in mind, Toshiro began to move. Slowly at first, he pushed himself up and then lowered himself back down in short, shallow strokes to get used to the large intrusion and new position. Gradually, he moved further up the shaft with each thrust until eventually it was just the tip left inside him before he slid back down. Ichigo held his hips steady, the soon-to-be second year student unable to hold back the small moans that escaped his lips. Toshiro glanced up at his boyfriend's face; the strawberry's pupils were large and dominatingly lustful, his cheeks were flushed a beautiful shade of scarlet, his lips parted and short orange spikes were glued to his forehead by the thin layer of sweat that had accumulated there. In that moment, Toshiro realised that the reason for the nineteen year old's ravishing look was brought on by him and him alone, and he couldn't help but moan a little at the thought. He knew he probably looked similar, if not worse, at that time, but he couldn't help but feel his heart swell knowing Ichigo was so turned on by him.

"Fuck, I love you," Toshiro murmured with a lazy smirk.

He leant forward, reaching out a hand to cup Ichigo's cheek and guided their lips together; he wanted to kiss the man so badly. He continued to raise himself up before dropping back down, and now things were getting more heated. For every plunge downwards, Ichigo thrust up, and with the new angle, Toshiro's prostate was hit every time. Both males moaned and grunted loudly, the sound of skin slapping only turning them on more.

Toshiro's thighs were beginning to feel strained but he didn't stop. This was the best feeling in the world; Ichigo inside him and the satisfaction of being completely full. He bounced up and down, his own erection slapping against Ichigo's stomach as he fucked himself on his boyfriend's dick, the strawberry watching through half lidden eyes and breathless pants.

"You're s-so h-hot," Ichigo managed through gritted teeth.

The medical science student then wrapped his fingers around Toshiro's rock hard length and began to stroke in opposite timing to the thrusts, causing Toshiro to whimper in pleasure, and falter in his movements. Ichigo's other hand on his hip kept him going, but the double attack of pleasure was rapidly becoming too much; heat pooled in his lower regions waiting to be released.

"Ich-igo," Toshiro stuttered, "I-I can't hold on m-much long-longer."

"C-come with me," Ichigo panted.

Toshiro plunged down once more and was met with a rather powerful upwards thrust from Ichigo, which was followed quickly by tug on his own arousal, and Toshiro heard a strangled moan leave his mouth, hot seed shooting forcefully out of him and splashing across his boyfriend's chest. Heat filled his insides too as Ichigo's release followed instantly, and a low moan echoed between them. Toshiro had slumped across Ichigo's chest but he continued to rock slightly against the strawberry's hips, allowing them to ride out their orgasms. Heavy breathing was the only sound between them as Toshiro came to a complete stop and they both laid in post-sex bliss, recovering slowly.

"That was…" Ichigo panted, swallowing mid-sentence, "Amazing. Really, really, really amazing."

Toshiro chuckled, pulling himself off Ichigo and rolling onto the mattress beside his boyfriend. Ichigo shifted beside him, putting the lube back into the drawer and pulling out the packet of wet wipes they both now kept for cleaning up their messes. The strawberry cleaned himself off before turning his attention to Toshiro, the prodigy humming as the cool cloth wiped away the sticky sperm between his legs and the bit he got on his chest from resting against Ichigo. When Ichigo was done, Toshiro found enough strength to lift himself up and under the covers. He moved over to allow the older male to join him, and Ichigo slid under the covers after dropping the dirty wipe into the bin under Toshiro's study desk.

As soon as Ichigo was in the bed, Toshiro shuffled closer and the strawberry instinctively pulled him into his chest. They hadn't had many chances to lie together during the holidays – outside of the camping trip – as Isshin and the girls were usually home, and Ichigo was working in the clinic during the day, and Toshiro had missed it dearly. He sighed contently against Ichigo's warm body, his fingers tracing random patterns along the older male's pecks, just enjoying being held for as long as possible before Ichigo's family returned. He was tired after their activities, but he didn't want to sleep, he wanted to appreciate this moment for a while longer.

"It's going to be weird not living together," Toshiro murmured, "You know it's almost been a whole year since we became roommates…"

Ichigo hummed in agreement, tightening his hold around the little physics student, "We can have plenty of sleepovers. Renji will drive me mad, so I think I'll be coming to your dorm quite a bit."

"No, we gotta hang out in yours," Toshiro frowned, "I'm going to need a break from listening to Ikkaku and Yumichika fuck all the time. Do you even know how loud those two can be?"

Toshiro gave a soft smile as Ichigo laughed loudly beside him, and the prodigy's head moved up down with his shaking chest.

"They can do that in Ikkaku's dorm then," Ichigo continued to chuckle.

"Not a chance," Toshiro whined, shifting to look up at Ichigo with a pout on his face, "Ikkaku is bunking with Kusaka now and he's already texted me to say he doesn't want Yumichika anywhere near him."

"Poor bastard," Ichigo muttered humorously, his finger poking Toshiro's pouting bottom lip playfully, "I guess we'll just have to split our time between listening to Ikkaku and Yumichika in your dorm, and Renji and Rukia in mine."

Toshiro frowned while Ichigo grinned at him; neither option sounded good. Sensing his distaste, Ichigo kissed him firmly on lips and patted his ass beneath the covers.

"They're going to hear us plenty of times too."

Toshiro groaned, and sunk back down to lay his head on Ichigo's chest. He was definitely going to miss having his idiot of a boyfriend sleeping in the same dorm every night, with none of their sexually charged friends to interrupt and annoy them. The space would probably do them some good, but Toshiro felt like a grumpy toddler; he wanted his Ichigo to sleep beside him every night, was that too much to ask?

Savouring the last few nights they had in neighbouring bedrooms, Toshiro nuzzled his face against Ichigo's body and felt the strawberry tighten around him while sighing in satisfaction. Whatever the next academic year brought for them, they'd get through it together; Toshiro was confident of that. If anything, it would bring them closer.

…

 **Only one more to go, people! Please review and thanks xx**

 **ALSO YOU ALL HAVE TO GO READ** _ **'THE PRODIGY'**_ **BY LETHANWOLF! It's Yukio/Tosh and its soooo goood! Three chapters in and I'm addicted af XD The author updates very regularly, so go check it out! I promise, you'll have no regrets!**


	23. Reunion (Epilogue 3 of 3)

**Well this is it, guys; the final chapter :'(**

 **OH JUST TO CLARIFY; I know in some countries the undergraduate degree is usually four years but in Australia its only three years and then you can do an extra year called 'honours' before moving into postgrad stuff, so that's they system I've used.**

…

Epilogue 3/3: Reunion

"Hey there, Handsome," a husky voice whispered over Toshiro's shoulder from his seat at the bar, "Can I buy you a drink?"

Toshiro supressed the smirk and the shudder, lifting his glass of wine to his lips, "I'm a married man, and I don't think my husband would approve."

A pair of hot, wet lips pressed against Toshiro's neck as he swallowed the cool liquid, the difference in temperatures an exciting contrast.

"What he doesn't know doesn't hurt him," the lips moved to Toshiro's ear and this time the white-haired genius could not stop the shiver that racked his body nor his eyes from fluttering shut.

"Ichigo," Toshiro breathed, gripping the man's arm and pulling him onto the stool beside him, "Stop that."

"Why?" Ichigo grinned, placing one of his hands conspicuously on the inside of Toshiro's thigh, "Are you getting turned on, Babe?"

Toshiro glared, swatting the hand away, "You know perfectly well that I can't resist you in a suit."

The strawberry threw his head back and laughed loudly at the bar, causing a few people to glance over. Toshiro scowled; was it his fault the man looked so damn good in a tight black suit? No, it was not. Ichigo was to blame here. The prodigy could not control how well the black of the jacket and white of the shirt contrasted against the bright orange of Ichigo's hair, nor the way the material only just managed to stretch over his well-built thighs and biceps. Not to mention the damn tie, which Toshiro recognised from a number of their more adventurous bedroom shenanigans, sitting innocently around the long, slender, kissable neck he knew was underneath it.

No, it was definitely not Toshiro's fault he got turned on at the sight of his husband dressed up.

"I know," the orange-haired idiot chuckled, "You spent twenty minutes just staring at me as I got ready…"

"I was glaring, thank you," Toshiro crossed his arms over his chest, "You were taking too long and we were going to be late."

Ichigo hummed like he wasn't at all convinced, picking up the second glass of wine and taking his first sip, while Toshiro hid the blush in his cheeks by looking around the room. They were at the ten year reunion for Ichigo's Bachelor of Medical Science graduating class. It was hard to believe it had already been a decade since Ichigo had finished his undergraduate course – surprising many as he finished top of his class – and a whole thirteen years since the two of them had first met, and fourteen years since Toshiro had begun college himself. Time had gone by so quickly, it was amazing to think of how much he and Ichigo had achieved, both as a couple and individually.

These days, following his Doctor of Medicine degree, as well as his internship and residency years at Karakura Town Hospital, and later specialist training, Ichigo was an obstetrician working in Karakura's maternity ward. He seemed to really love it there, because more often than not, there was a happy ending, and there was nothing he loved more than handing a mother her healthy newborn. Of course, there were dark days in the ward too – there always would be – but the good days were what Ichigo lived for and Toshiro adored the way his eyes would light up when he'd talk about his job.

Toshiro himself had stayed on his path of science, completing his PhD and becoming a research scientist at KTU. He'd since taken over as Head of the Physics Department, and also became a senior professor, teaching both astronomy and physics to the next generation. Three years ago, he'd become the youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics, for proving that the expansion of the universe is accelerating.

Together, the two of them had achieved one very big personal goal; they had gotten engaged while they were still studying and then married shortly after finishing their final courses. It had been a fairly low key event; just close friends and family attended the small ceremony that was held at the same little chapel where Ichigo's parents had married. Rangiku had played the part of Toshiro's best man – 'best person' as she put it – while Chad and Renji were co-best men for Ichigo. Isshin had decided right there on the day to walk both grooms down the aisle, and give them both away, as Toshiro had become as much his son as Ichigo. It was also a big part of the reason why Toshiro had taken on the Kurosaki name; he'd been a part of that family since he was fourteen.

" _Dad, what are you doing?" Ichigo began to push his father towards the row of seats in front of the wedding alter, "The ceremony is about to start!"_

" _No, Ichigo," Isshin grabbed his son's arm and pulled him to the back of the chapel where Toshiro stood watching them in amusement, "This is my kids' wedding, I don't care if you're both males, I'll be walking you down the aisle. Both of you."_

 _Ichigo stared at his father, completely lost for words._

" _Isshin, you don't have to do that," Toshiro murmured, "I'm not even your s-"_

" _Toshiro," Isshin waved his finger disapprovingly, "How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Dad!"_

 _Toshiro scoffed and rolled his eyes; he was never going to call him that._

" _Now, come on boys," Isshin called as he grabbed Ichigo and Toshiro's arms and pulled them either side of him, "Let's make this official."_

 _Toshiro glanced across at Ichigo who smiled back apologetically, before mouthing the words 'I love you.'_

…

"What are you grinning about?" Ichigo asked, leaning back against the bar as he observed Toshiro.

"I was just thinking about all the achievements we've made in ten years," Toshiro murmured in response, although he hadn't been aware he was letting it show on his face, "Professional and personal."

It was Ichigo's turn to grin as he leant over and pressed a kiss on the now twenty-seven year old's cheek.

"I was actually hoping to talk to you about that," Ichigo said, taking Toshiro's hand in his, "I was wondering if-"

"Dr Kurosaki!" Renji's loud voice boomed across the room, as he and Rukia walked towards the bar.

Rukia had done the same undergraduate course as Ichigo, but had decided not to transfer into medicine; instead, she earnt her Masters Degree and went on to work in medical research, working to prevent, cure and treat a range of serious illnesses and diseases. She'd married Renji – who had got his dream job working for Kuchki industries, directly under his brother-in-law – and they now had a three year old daughter, Ichika.

"What do you want, Pineapple?" Ichigo smirked as the other couple reached them, "I'm surprised they even let you in here."

"I wasn't talking to you, Strawberry," Renji scoffed, using his arm to push Ichigo out of the way before extending his arm out to Toshiro, "I was talking to the _other_ Dr Kurosaki."

Toshiro chuckled, shaking the outstretched hand; it had become a running joke amongst most of their friends now, since Toshiro had taken his husband's name after they married, and both of them had earnt the 'Doctor' title.

"It's actually Professor Kurosaki for me now," Toshiro hummed.

"Upgrading, hey?" Renji smirked, nudging Ichigo's side, "Watch out, Strawberry, you're the next thing he upgrades from."

Ichigo wasted no time in throwing an arm around Renji's neck and pulling him into a headlock, and rubbing his knuckles hard into the tattooed man's red hair.

"Oh stop it, you two!" Rukia chided, "Honestly, we are in public."

"And I'm not upgrading," Toshiro added with a light chuckle, "I'm just sick of us both turning around when people call out 'Dr Kurosaki', or even worse, when we're with Isshin and all three of us turn around for it."

It was true; every time all three of them were together and someone had called out 'Dr Kurosaki', all three of them would turn around expecting it to be them that were needed. It was often worse for Ichigo and Isshin as Ichigo often still helped out at the clinic on his days off, confusing both patients and Yuzu who ran reception, as most of the paperwork would state 'Dr Kurosaki', or worse – 'Dr I. Kurosaki' – as the doctor who treated the patient. Now they just went as 'Senior' and 'Junior' to avoid confusion.

The reunion MC called for everyone to take their seats, and both couples wandered over to table six. As they listened to the opening remarks, Toshiro felt his hand be engulfed in warmness as Ichigo held on to it, gently rubbing his thumb over his knuckles. It was hard to believe they'd been together for thirteen years now, and married for five. Toshiro could hardly comprehend how much the orange-haired fool had changed his life in that time. They had spent a lot of the last thirteen years focusing on their studies and careers, as well as professional goals, but they always managed to find time for each other, which was probably why their marriage had stayed so strong. They didn't have serious fights, although they bickered a lot over stupid things – like whether ice cream is an appropriate breakfast meal, or who was hotter: Liam or Chris Hemsworth? – They were seriously like an old married couple.

Well, married they were, but not old just yet.

Ichigo was thirty two now, but he looked as handsome as ever, and Toshiro knew he'd be quite the silver fox in another two decades or so. The prodigy himself had sprouted up, _thankfully_ , and now was only about three inches shorter than his husband. He'd lost a lot of the chubbiness around his cheeks, and his jawline had become much more prominent and defined. Before he had changed his name, some of his friends – namely Rangiku – had coined the name 'HOTsugaya', much to his chagrin.

Speaking of that blonde devil, Rangiku had – to everyone's surprise – ended up marrying Chad. The large Mexican had achieved his dream job of working with children who, for whatever reason, couldn't go home to their parents. He'd also done a law degree part time while he worked and was hoping to get into family law, in order to protect children from ending up in bad homes. Rangiku herself had ended up opening her salon, running it for a few years before selling the business in favour of becoming a stay-at-home mother. She and Chad now had three children – two girls and a boy, aged nine, seven and four respectively – and we're looking to adopt another soon. All of their children had been adopted after Rangiku found out she couldn't have children; she had said it was a good thing because she could keep her 'hot bod' and become a 'milf' through adoption, and Chad wanted to give children good homes so why not theirs? Toshiro suspected she was a little sad about it though.

"Have you guys heard from Ikkaku lately?" Renji asked, with a mouth full of risotto which had been served as the entrée, "Or Yumi?"

"They're still in America, I think," Ichigo answered, shovelling in his own entrée, while Rukia and Toshiro just rolled their eyes; _why were their husbands such grubs?_

"Yumichika is still designing," Rukia took a sip of her wine, "He works for Ralph Lauren now. There was a big article about him in the style section of Shuuhei's newspaper."

"And Ikkaku is fighting again," Toshiro added, "He's trying to get into professional wrestling over there."

Renji choked on his food, "Professional wrestling? He's going to die."

There was a round of resigned nodding.

Ikkaku and Yumichika were rarely heard from these days. They had gone to the U.S. after Yumichika had been head hunted by a fashion company looking to expand into the Japanese market. Toshiro only knew what was going on with them through Facebook, since they never called.

They weren't the only people Toshiro and Ichigo had lost track of after college. They still saw Renji and Rukia often, as well as Chad and Rangiku, but Shuuhei had moved to the city to write for the big newspapers and had worked up to the editor of the _Tokyo Times_. He did come back to Karakura every now and again for the odd catch up, and like in school, he still went from woman to woman. These days he was dating a girl that Ichigo and Toshiro only knew as 'Hot Redhead'.

"I heard from Izuru the other day," Renji murmured, leaning over the table to reach the butter for his bread roll, "He wanted to see if I could get him a job at Kuchki Industries."

"Seriously?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.

Izuru was another person they'd rarely heard from. He had married Momo straight after finishing their undergraduate degrees, and then they separated six months later. Momo had moved to London to teach, while Izuru had just sort of dropped off the radar.

"Yeah," Renji hummed bitterly, "Haven't heard from him in almost a decade and now he needs my help; what a surprise…"

Toshiro grimaced; Izuru certainly learnt that trait from his ex-wife. Momo didn't speak to Toshiro for almost a whole year after learning he was gay, and then randomly out-of-the-blue, she turned up at his dorm, crying because she was had failed an assignment and needed help re-doing it. She said she 'didn't know where else to go'. Toshiro had helped her, of course; he couldn't deny her much, but Ichigo had been furious at both of them; Toshiro for letting her treat him like that and Momo for thinking she can come to him for help without so much as an apology. These days, Momo only called on Christmas day, and she hung up straight away if Ichigo answered the phone first. She hadn't come to their wedding either, which meant that Toshiro didn't have a single person from his side of the family at the event, although he liked to think Granny was there in spirit.

As if knowing what he was thinking about, Ichigo threw a comforting arm around Toshiro's shoulders as he leant back into his seat. The waiters cleared the entrée plates and soon the main meals were in front of them. Speeches continued from notable graduates, lecturers and representatives from the KTU board members.

After speeches and main meals were finished, it seemed they had a bit of time before dessert, and Ichigo pulled Toshiro out of his chair and onto the dancefloor. The band began to play a slow romantic ballad just moments before, so there were plenty of couples swaying closely together.

"We danced to this song out our wedding," Ichigo murmured, pulling Toshiro flush against his body as they began to move against the soft beat.

"Hmmm," Toshiro hummed, smiling at the memory, "And on our anniversary when you proposed…"

"That's right," Ichigo chuckled, "I got down on one knee right afterwards… I was aiming for the middle of the song so we could keep dancing afterwards, but I was so nervous that I missed it."

Toshiro laughed against his husband's chest, "If I recall correctly, dancing was the last thing on our mind after I said 'yes'…"

It had been straight to the bedroom for them.

Ichigo's arms tightened around him, and Toshiro returned the gesture as lips were pressed against his forehead.

"There has actually been something I've been meaning to ask you for some time now, Babe," Ichigo mumbled in Toshiro's ear, sounding somewhat nervous.

"This takes me back," Toshiro frowned, leaning back to look questioning at his husband, "You're not going to propose again, are you?"

"No," Ichigo chuckled, his mouth tugging into a small smile, "Well, I'm not proposing marriage this time, anyway…"

"Oh?" Toshiro murmured, searching chocolate eyes.

He waited patiently for Ichigo to answer him, the strawberry himself taking deep, calming breaths; he certainly looked like he had just be for he asked Toshiro to marry him all those years ago.

"Whatwouldyouthinkaboutadoptingababy?" Ichigo blurted out quickly, causing Toshiro to furrow his brow in attempt to decipher it.

He replayed in slow motion in his head, and froze.

"Did you say you want to adopt a baby?" Toshiro repeated dumbstruck, "Like a real human baby?"

Ichigo nodded, taking another deep breath, "We've talked about it, and we agreed to wait until we'd set up our careers first and we've done that now; you've got a Nobel Prize, for god's sake."

"So, we just go and get ourselves a baby now?" Toshiro asked in disbelief, still unable to comprehend the magnitude of the request.

Ichigo pulled him back into his chest, and Toshiro gripped the front of his jacket, trying desperately not to panic.

"I want to start a family of our own," Ichigo murmured, rubbing Toshiro's back, "I want to be a dad."

Toshiro closed his eyes and tuned out the sound of the band and people around them, focusing entirely on the warm body wrapped around him.

A family with Ichigo.

Both them becoming fathers.

Now that he thought about it, there was nothing he wanted more.

"Yes."

"Hmm?"

"Yes," Toshiro repeated himself a little louder, taking his head out of Ichigo's chest.

"Yes?" Ichigo repeated dumbly, "Yes what- OH!"

The doctor's face lit up in recognition at just what Toshiro was agreeing to. A breathtaking smile erupted on his face and a hand came up to clamp over his mouth in total surprise.

"Are you sure?" Ichigo asked, unable to quell neither the grin nor the happy tears welling up in the corners of his eyes.

"Very sure," Toshiro nodded; it was almost worth just saying yes to see that amazing reaction from the strawberry, but it was true nonetheless, he did want to start a family with his husband.

Ichigo tipped his head down and connected their lips immediately. Toshiro could feel wetness on his cheeks as the tears fell and couldn't help but feel his own eyes beginning to water. It was a very emotion moment for the both of them as they continued to embrace and kiss in the middle of dancefloor, completely ignoring the people around them. They were in their own world of pure joy and bliss, the prospect of raising a child was on the horizon and they were sailing towards it. Toshiro wrapped his arms around Ichigo's neck as his husband's own came down to his waist, and they swayed to a beat they couldn't hear anymore.

…

"Oh are you two done making out on the dancefloor now?" Renji quipped sarcastically when the Kurosakis' returned to their table after dessert had been served, "It seems some things never change."

Ichigo let out a shaky laugh and sniffed, wiping his nose with his very expensive jacket sleeve. Toshiro frowned; he'd be the one who'd have to wash that.

"Ichigo, have you been crying?" Rukia whispered urgently across the table as she observed the husbands, "What's happened?"

Even Renji looked taken aback, leaning closer to get a better look. Toshiro held Ichigo's hand under the table and squeezed it as the obstetrician nodded.

"We're going to adopt a baby," Ichigo announced, laughing a little more and grinning stupidly.

Toshiro used his napkin to wipe the tear stains off Ichigo's cheeks as the Abarais' stared at them in surprise.

"We're going to be dads," Ichigo added, pulling Toshiro so close the younger male might as well have been in his lap.

Rukia gasped before breaking into a smile, "That's amazing, I'm so happy for you both!"

The raven haired woman got out of her seat and hugged them both, while Renji leant across the table to shake both of their hands. He ordered a bottle of champagne from a passing waiter, and was soon pouring out four glasses as Rukia continued to gush about how incredible being a parent was. A few other people at the table overheard and were congratulating them as well, while the parents amongst them began sharing tips and advice across the table, as well as the odd humorous anecdote.

Toshiro didn't notice dessert being cleared; at some point Ichigo had actually pulled him into his lap and now it was the end of the night, and they were one of the last few people at the function. Renji had slid into Rukia's seat after she had gone back to the bar for a third bottle of champagne and upon her return, the former Kuchki had decided just to sit on her husband, instead of his old seat beside them. The scientist rested his head against his now very drunk husband's broad shoulder and could feel the prickle of Ichigo's stubble against his forehead, the strawberry scent around the man's neck doing more to intoxicate Toshiro than the sparkling wine. He could sit like this forever.

Soon though, he'd have a baby in his lap while sitting in Ichigo's and that thought made his smile stupidly against the older Kurosaki's collar.

"Chad and Rangiku will be a big help too," Rukia continued on, "They've been through the adoption process many times now."

"Ah shit," Toshiro cursed quietly, sitting up and pulling his phone from his pocket, "I've got to call Ran and let her know; she'll actually kill me if I don't tell her straight away."

As he tried to stand, Ichigo tightened his arms around the scientist's body and pulled him back. The prodigy glared at his husband.

"You can call her in the taxi," Ichigo pressed a sloppy kiss to the younger man's lips, "I'm not done cuddling you."

Renji and Rukia giggled at what was obviously the effect of champagne on their friend, and Toshiro rolled his eyes at his husband's notorious drunk affection.

"Fine," he grumbled, before turning on the couple beside them, "But if Rangiku asks, she was the first person to find out, okay?"

The Abarai's shared mischievous looks and Toshiro groaned internally; these two were a team, and they were definitely up to something.

"What's it worth to ya?" Renji grinned.

"Come on, guys," Toshiro groaned, "Ran will castrate me!"

Rukia nodded with a sly smirk; of course they knew how mad Rangiku would be if she, Toshiro's _'greatest and bestest friend 4 evs'_ , was not the first to find out about the expansion of his family.

"What are you prepared to offer us in exchange for our silence?" Rukia asked seriously, taking another sip of her champagne.

Toshiro sighed, "What do you want?"

She and her husband exchanged another cunning glance, and seemed to read each other's minds as they nodded at the same time in obvious conclusion.

"We want to be god parents," they said in unison.

"God parents?" Toshiro repeated, raising an eyebrow.

The Abarais' nodded once more, "God parents."

Toshiro frowned, taking a sip of his champagne and another before hastily finishing off the glass. He thought about the request; technically, he and Ichigo kind of owed it to them as they were both named Ichika's god fathers, and the Abarai's were not only close, long-time friends but also amazing parents. On the other hand, if Rangiku wasn't named as god mother, she'd surely flip out worse than she would about not finding out first.

"What about Rangiku?" Toshiro voiced his thoughts, "She'll want to be a god parent too, and Chad, of course…"

"They can be the god parents of your second kid," Renji suggested.

Toshiro's eyes bulged, "Second kid? We haven't even got a first one yet!"

The redhead shrugged, "That's not our problem."

Toshiro glanced over his shoulder at Ichigo, who had now fallen asleep in his chair, head tilted uncomfortably sideways and drool dripping slowly from the corner of his mouth. _Hot._

The prodigy looked back at their friends to see them still waiting for his answer with cheeky yet hopeful expressions. He sighed to himself; Rangiku would just have to deal with it until he and Ichigo were ready to brave a second child.

"Fine," Toshiro muttered, "You two can be god parents."

The Abarais' cheered and high fived each other loudly, causing Ichigo to stir in his seat and sit up groggily.

"Waz goin' on?" the doctor slurred, rubbing his eyes and glancing bleary around the almost empty venue.

"Renji and Rukia are going to be god parents," Toshiro announced.

The news took an extra second to tick over in Ichigo's head before the man gasped in pleasant surprise.

"Oh my god," He grinned, shaking their hands enthusiastically, "Congratulations! You'll be so good at it!"

Everyone rolled their eyes at Ichigo's antics. They decided it was time to leave now, and Rukia walked off to order two taxis as Renji helped Toshiro get Ichigo to his feet and down the stairs to the front lobby and main entrance. It was only a few minutes later when the first taxi arrived and Rukia and Renji departed; they offered to stay and help Toshiro with Ichigo, but the prodigy insisted they'd be fine.

"You smell good," Ichigo murmured lazily, his nose buried in Toshiro's hair, "I love you, Baby, do you know that?"

"I do," Toshiro smirked as the second taxi for them rolled up, "I love you too, Ichigo, but we need to get into the taxi."

"Why?" Ichigo whined, as Toshiro let go of him briefly to open the back seat door of the car.

"So we can get home," Toshiro answered, pushing the doctor inside and across to the far seat before buckling him in.

"Can I cuddle you when we get home?" Ichigo asked, eyes opening wide into those annoyingly adorable puppy eyes Toshiro could never refuse.

"Of course you can."

Ichigo seemed pleased with his response, and settled back against the head rest while grinning to himself. He took Toshiro's hand in his own and played idly with it as Toshiro pulled out his phone with his free hand to call Rangiku and tell her the good news.

There had been a lot of squealing from the other end of the line, and Toshiro was positive she would have woken up her kids carrying on like that. Rangiku was ecstatic with the news, and the best friends organised to get together tomorrow afternoon for coffee to discuss it. The strawberry blonde promised to bring around some adoption information books she had for them to read and pledged to help the Kurosakis' through this major event. Upon hanging up, Toshiro glanced over to find Ichigo grinning to himself once more.

"We're going to be fathers," He chuckled, and Toshiro smiled back.

"Yes, we are."

Toshiro still couldn't believe he'd ended up marrying his idiot roommate from college.

…

 **And that's it.**

 **LOL JUST KIDDING THERE IS GOING TO BE A SEQUEL YAAAAY XD**

 **No seriously, I loved writing this story so much and I'm now** _ **officially confirming there will be a sequel!**_ **I have a few other stories I want to write before that, so the writing for the sequel should commence early next year (really not that far away now XD). Follow me for update notifications and then you'll know instantly when I post it :)**

 **Also if anyone is interested, I have a HitsuYuki (Tosh x Yukio) multi-chapter coming out Christmas Eve for my galpal Mosco, and a Gin+Ran=Toshiro family story sometime soon as well!**

 **Thanks again to everyone who reviewed; you guys are the bomb diggity ;)**


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